In Lakewood, New Jersey, Dion Marsh has been federally charged after a series of violent attacks against members of the Orthodox Jewish community. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced Thursday that Marsh has pleaded guilty in federal court for the assaults that took place in 2022.
According to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, Marsh carried out a spree of violent assaults, including assault, carjacking, and attempting to kill four people while driving stolen cars. The attacks targeted members of the Orthodox Jewish community, with all five victims wearing traditional garments. Sellinger stated that Marsh violently attacked these men simply because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews.
The attacks took place on April 8, 2022, at various times throughout the day. Marsh forced a man out of his car, deliberately struck another man with a vehicle, and then used the same vehicle to strike another person and then attempted to kill a fourth victim. Later that evening, he struck a fifth person with a stolen car. Marsh was arrested at his home in Manchester, New Jersey, the same night. All of the victims survived, but three were hospitalized and one transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
Marsh has been charged with four counts of federal hate crimes, with each carrying a maximum term of life in prison. Additionally, he has been charged with one count of carjacking, which carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison. Assistant Attorney General Clarke emphasized the seriousness of these hate-filled acts of violence and stated that the Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic violence.
Marsh is set to be sentenced on June 11, 2024, and will face severe consequences for his series of depraved, antisemitic assaults.