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A 60-year-old Tennessee woman who recently moved to Bayonne is facing charges after shouting racial slurs at a neighbor trying to help her, authorities said.
The Jan. 4 incident was captured by Tameka Bordeaux, in which Claudia Emanuele can be heard saying: "[N-word] b***h went after me for no reason at all.
"I came out of my apartment to talk to the mailman and wanted to know where my mail was, and she had to be an intrusion -- not minding her business -- a procrastinator, instigator.
"Nasty wig-headed black b***h."
The 40-year-old victim told police she was leaving her West 17th Street apartment when she saw a woman, later identified as Emanuele, 60, talking to the mail carrier, Bayonne police said.
As the victim approached the woman to offer neighborly advice, Emanuele began shouting racially charged expletives at her, police said.
Emanuele continued shouting slurs as the victim tried calming her down, authorities said.
The victim eventually continued walking toward a convenience store on Avenue C -- Emanuele not far behind, shouting racial slurs and expletives, police said.
"Along the way, a concerned citizen observed the verbal tirade and attempted to intervene, even walking with the victim to ensure her safety," Bayonne police said.
"Once the victim arrived at the convenience store, a second concerned citizen was able to intervene and calm Emanuele, ultimately coaxing her to leave the area."
The victim captured the incident on camera and turned the footage over to police.
Emanuele was identified as the actor by Bayonne detectives, who quickly got her home address and took her into custody without incident, around 12:50 p.m. that afternoon.
Emanuele had relocated to Bayonne from Tennessee in September 2020, according to police.
Bordeaux's video quickly went viral on social media, gaining her support from state officials.
"This behavior is becoming so common now that we simply refer to these racist people as 'Karen' and let it go," New Jersey Assemblywoman Angela McKnight said. "I can’t just do that.
"I put myself in Tameka’s shoes and I know it had to take a lot of restraint for her to endure what she went through today. I thank her for being the strong black woman that she is to remain calm and reserved during the entire ordeal."
Bordeaux posted a statement of her own to Facebook that afternoon.
"I was followed for blocks because I thought informing my neighbors about making mail complaints would be received with statements like 'Oh, ok' 'thank you' or *silence,*" she wrote
"By NO means did I think for one second, that my suggestion on who to send mail delivery complaints to would result in me being called every [N-word] in the history books.
"So to those who keep saying something adverse[sic] to me and nothing about the incident, is the reason we, as humans, have not evolved.
"At some point, I'd like to live outside of my BLACKNESS."
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