New Jersey man charged with hate crime after Islamic Center was damaged

The Centre of Islamic Life at Rutgers University say that they do not believe the incident occured ‘in a vacuum’

A New Jersey man has been charged with a federal hate crime after property belonging to an Islamic centre at Rutgers University was vandalised and destroyed during the Eid holiday.

Jacob Beacher, 24, was arrested on Monday after the Centre of Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) found their Muslim Chaplaincy, situated on the university campus, destroyed and wrecked over a week ago.

Art pieces were smashed, windows were shattered, TVs were vandalised, printers were broken and a Palestinian flag was subject to “destruction” during the break-in at the chaplaincy, the CILRU claimed on their social media on 10 April.

Following the incident, Mr Beacher was charged with one count of intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and one count of making false statements to federal authorities, the New Jersey District Attorney’s office said in a news release.

Mr Beacher is not affiliated with Rutgers University, a university spokesperson told CNN.

Damage at the Centre of Islamic Life at Rutgers University, New Jersey (Courtesy of Centre for Islamic Life at Rutgers Univesity)

During the Eid al-Fitr holiday on 10 April, an important celebration on the Islamic calendar marking the end of Ramadan, Mr Beacher allegedly broke into the CILRU at around 2.41am.

He purportedly damaged the CILRU property, including several religious artefacts, such as Turbah stones used in prayer and objects with holy language from the Quran.

The complaint against Mr Beacher said that the total damages amassed to approximately $40,000, and also alleges that he stole a Palestinian flag and a charity box belonging to the Islamic centre.

The charity box was found four days later in a park near the campus, the complaint added, saying that cell site data showed Mr Beacher’s phone was located at the same park shortly after the break-in.

Mr Beacher was allegedly caught by surveillance video near the centre, the court documents claim.

The complaint against Beacher states that a glass pane on the door was broken (Courtesy of Centre for Islamic Life at Rutgers Univesity)

The suspect voluntarily agreed to speak to law enforcement two days after the vandalism, and while he admitted to being the person in surveillance footage captured at a nearby business and the university’s Student Centre, he denied breaking into the CILRU.

Over the past week, the community has started to replace and repair property that was damaged during the vandalism at the CILRU, including a TV monitor and a printer that were gifted to them, the centre said on social media.

“We are humbled by the amazing and generous outpouring from the Rutgers community and the community at large,” the CILRU said in a statement on Monday.

The Islamic centre also acknowledged the arrest of Mr Beacher, saying they have been kept informed throughout the authorities’ investigation.

“We express a sense of relief and safety knowing that the suspect is in custody,” they wrote. “We look forward to the process of justice being meted out.”

The vandalism damaged several religious artefacts (Courtesy of Centre for Islamic Life at Rutgers Univesity)

After the incident, some Muslim campus members told WABC that they now feel their safety is at risk.

"It’s so disheartening and scary because it just solidifies the fact that we aren’t safe here," student Nehad Ali told the outlet a day after the incident.

However, the CILRU said that this “act of terror will not intimidate or break our community”.

“This incident did not occur in a vacuum. We condemn those that are stoking lies and hate on our campus and those who are engaging in doublespeak that have led to this violence, other acts of hate and bigotry on our campus and in particular against our students,” they added.

Since the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, there has been an uptick in hate towards Muslim and Jewish Americans.

Antisemitic, Islamophobic and anti-Arab hate incidents have climbed to unprecedented levels, according to civil rights advocates.

In the eight weeks following 7 October, the Council on American-Islamic Relations tracked 2,171 requests for help and reports of bias, with the Anti-Defamation League reporting that there has been a 140 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year.

In a statement to CNN, Rutgers University said the school “condemns this act of violence against the Rutgers–New Brunswick Muslim community and the desecration of a religious and community space”.

“Such acts of hatred and bigotry against anyone in our community have no place at Rutgers,” the university said. “We abhor all forms of intolerance based on religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or political views.”

Mr Beacher had his initial appearance at court in Newark on Monday before US Magistrate Judge André M Espinosa.

The Independent has contacted the CILRU, Rutgers University and an attorney for Mr Beacher for comment.