Middlesex County Acting Prosecutor Christopher L. C . Kuberiet and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department announce today that a juvenile from Edison has been charged following an incident which took place on April 4, 2020 in the township.
A juvenile female under the age of 18, whose name will not be released due to her age, was arrested on April 14, 2020, and charged with bias intimidation in the third degree, riot in the fourth degree, simple assault a disorderly persons offense, harassment and disorderly conduct; both petty disorderly persons offenses. In addition, the juvenile has been charged with one count of Violation of an Emergency Order because the juvenile’s presence outdoors on April 4, 2020 was not authorized or deemed essential and therefore in Violation of Executive Order 107.
Due to circumstances surrounding the events, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Edison Police Department are continuing to investigate the incident pursuant to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s Bias Incident Investigation Standards.
The investigation determined that on April 4, 2020, the juvenile and a group of others surrounded a 55-year-old Asian woman.
The juvenile yelled racial slurs regarding the origins of the Coronavirus at the victim. The juvenile then punched the woman on the back of the head.
Anyone with information is asked to please contact Detective Jeffrey Tierny of the Edison Police Department at (732) 248-7400, or Detective Jason Mendelson of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745- 5948.