A white woman in New Jersey was caught on surveillance camera while hanging stuffed animal toys tied in nooses near a campaign sign belonging to Tim Alexander, a Black candidate running for Congress. Police, who are now looking for the suspect, said the video shows a white woman with blonde hair first arriving in a dark colored sedan which appeared to be a Buick.
She then hangs the stuffed animals on a tree standing next to a political sign for Alexander in Middle Township, New Jersey, CNN reports.
“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 told CNN.
The Democrat is running for New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District in the House of Representatives, competing against Republican incumbent Rep. Jeff Van Drew.
Middle Township Mayor Tim Donohue said the incident is a “potential hate crime.”
“This is not who we are in Middle Township. We stand united against all forms of racism, hate, threats and intimidation,” Donohue wrote in a post on Facebook. “If this investigation proves charges are warranted, the perpetrator(s) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to the mayor, three stuffed dolls hung in nooses from a tree branch near the campaign sign.
“The MTPD has launched an immediate and thorough investigation into this potential hate crime,” Donohue wrote. “If this investigation proves charges are warranted, the perpetrator(s) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
