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Angered by the amplified daily call to prayer at the Islamic Congregation of North Jersey, Edward Wright pushed and struck the assistant Imam who was holding the microphone, knocking it from his hands, Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik said.
Wright, 57, also made threats while telling the mostly Bengali congregation that "this needs to stop" and they "need to go somewhere else," the sheriff said.
"I don't want to hear that [expletive] every day," he allegedly added during the Dec. 23, 2021 incident.
State noise laws allow for "bells, chimes, carillons in conjunction with religious services," among other exceptions. A city ordinance also permits five daily calls to prayer.
Known as the adhan (literally: "to listen"), the call reminds Muslims to attend mandatory prayer and leave immediate concerns behind.
Wright, formerly of the Jersey Shore city of Neptune, was arrested by sheriff's detectives following an investigation of the Preakness Avenue incident, Berdnik said.
They charged him with assault and bias intimidation before releasing him pending court action and notified the Bias Crime Unit of the county prosecutor's office, the sheriff said.
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