Police in New Jersey are investigating after a White woman was seen hanging dolls in nooses near a Black candidate’s campaign sign
Police in south New Jersey are searching for a White woman accused of hanging stuffed dolls in nooses near a campaign sign belonging to a Black candidate running for Congress.
By Sharif Paget, CNN
Police in south New Jersey are searching for a White woman accused of hanging stuffed dolls in nooses near a campaign sign belonging to a Black candidate running for Congress.
The woman on Election Day hung stuffed animal toys tied in nooses above a political sign for Tim Alexander, a Black Democrat running for New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District in the House of Representatives, officials said.
An investigation revealed video footage that shows a White woman with blonde hair getting out of a late model dark colored sedan, which investigators say appeared to be a Buick, and then hanging the stuffed animals from a tree in Middle Township, New Jersey, according to a news release from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
In response to the incident, Alexander told CNN, “My visceral response was it’s disgusting and a pathetic attempt at intimidation using historically racist symbols to send a message to a Black candidate.”
Alexander is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who is projected to win reelection.
Middle Township Mayor Tim Donohue called the incident a “potential hate crime” in a statement posted Tuesday on the township’s Facebook page.
“This is not who we are in Middle Township. We stand united against all forms of racism, hate, threats and intimidation,” Donohue wrote in the post. “If this investigation proves charges are warranted, the perpetrator(s) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Aya Elamroussi contributed to this report.
