A man was arrested on April 8 for stabbing and ramming his car into two Orthodox Jews, as well as ramming his car into a non-Jewish person in Lakewood, NJ.
The man, identified as 27-year-old Dion Marsh, allegedly stole a vehicle and used it to ram the two victims and also stabbed another victim in the chest. He is being charged with three counts of attempted murder, carjacking and bias intimidation.
🇺🇸 — UPDATE: Dion Marsh, the man who stabbed a Jewish man in an apparent antisemitic attack and then stole a car and rammed into two other victims on Friday in Lakewood and Jackson Township in New Jersey, was arrested on Friday and charged with 3 counts of attempted murder. pic.twitter.com/La9pdL5ryL
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) April 10, 2022
The two Orthodox Jewish victims are in critical but stable condition and the non-Jewish victim is in serious condition; the Jewish victims’ names are Tzvi Aryeh ben Rivka Leah and Moshe Yigal ben Brunyah, according to Agudath Israel of America.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a statement that Marsh is believed to have spouted antisemitic remarks after he was arrested. Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said that one of the charges Marsh faces is a bias intimidation charge over “statements he made to detectives after his arrest.”
“We are grateful to federal and local law enforcement for their swift response in apprehending the suspect and bringing charges that include bias intimidation,” ADL NY/NJ Regional Director Scott Richman said. “I am personally horrified at the cruelty with which the suspect allegedly conducted himself. 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. 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.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement, “The safety of our communities, and notably our communities of faith, is not only a paramount concern but among my highest priorities. We will continue to partner with all who share this commitment so no resident ever needs to live in fear.”
Billhimer also said in a statement that Marsh allegedly committed the crimes during the day and early evening and acted alone. “I’m grateful for the collaborative efforts of every police officer and detective that worked swiftly to identify Marsh and bring him into custody without further injury to anyone,” he added. “A tremendous job by all involved.”
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted, “We need more than platitudes or protection to fight this antisemitism — we need proactive solutions.”
This weekend's spate of attacks on Jews in Lakewood NJ, including a near-fatal stabbing, were horrifying. @ADL & @ADL_NYNJ are engaged with authorities but we need more than platitudes or protection to fight this antisemitism — we need proactive solutions.https://t.co/vJKfgD7riB
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 10, 2022
