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Dion Marsh, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of terrorism on Wednesday, Jan. 24, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billheimer announced. Prosecutors will seek a 30-year state prison sentence without parole for Marsh.
Billhimer praised police for potentially saving lives and reiterated that hate does not belong in Ocean County.
"The evidence marshaled through the course of this investigation led us to the unmistakable conclusion that these brazen, violent acts were carried out with the purpose of terrorizing the Jewish community in Lakewood and Jackson Townships,” Billhimer said in a news release. "Let no one question our resolve when it comes to fighting hatred and bigotry."
On Friday, Apr. 8, 2022, at around 1:10 p.m., investigators said a man was driving north on Arlington Avenue in Lakewood when he was approached by another man who tried to get in his car. The driver sped away, but the man tried to reach through an open window and held on to the moving car for about a block before he let go of it.
About five minutes later, Lakewood Township police responded to a carjacking report in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Pine Street. Officers said a man assaulted a driver and drove off with the car.
At around 5:20 p.m. that day, a man was crossing Kimball Road at the intersection of Central Avenue in Lakewood, when he was hit by a car and suffered minor injuries. About five minutes after that, a 911 caller reported that a man tried to pull a boy into his car in the area of Carlton and Central avenues.
At around 6 p.m., Lakewood police received a report of another man hit by a vehicle, also near Carlton and Central avenues. The victim was treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune and released.
About an hour later, Lakewood officers found a man stabbed in the chest near Pine Circle Drive and Lakewood New Egypt Road. He was also treated at JSUMC and released. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) later identified the victim as an Orthodox Jewish man.
At around 8:20 p.m., Jackson Township police responded to a male pedestrian hit by a vehicle near Galassi Court. Officers determined the victim was hit by the same vehicle taken in the Lakewood carjacking. The man was treated at JSUMC, moved to a rehabilitation center, and eventually released.
Police arrested Marsh at his Manchester Township home later that evening. He's been held at the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
A day after Marsh was arrested, the ADL released a statement condemning the attacks.
"More needs to be done proactively to prevent violence against the Jewish community, and in particular visibly identifiable Jews in Ocean County and across our region," said Scott Richman, regional director for the ADL in New York and New Jersey. "We recommit ourselves and our organization to working with government, educational institutions, interfaith and intergroup partners and law enforcement in order to achieve this goal.
"Jews should not be afraid to freely go about their business without living in fear that they will be targeted for violence. The past few years have seen far too many assaults against Jews.”
Marsh was originally charged with several crimes, including attempted murder, carjacking, and bias intimidation. Attorney General Matthew Platkin approved of charging Marsh with terrorism on Thursday, Apr. 14, 2022.
Marsh is scheduled for sentencing on Friday, Mar. 22.
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