New Jersey man who yelled racial slurs at Black neighbors receives additional charges

A New Jersey man who was arrested following a viral video that showed him yelling racist slurs at his Black neighbors is now facing additional charges, including stalking and property damage. 

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Mount Laurel Township Police Chief Stephen Riedener announced the new charges in a Thursday Facebook post following the execution of a court-approved search warrant of Edward Cagney Mathews’s home as well as additional details gathered through interviews with community members. 

In addition to the previous charges of harassment and biased intimidation, authorities say that the 45-year-old now faces two counts of criminal mischief, one count of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of stalking, among other charges. 

Authorities said in the post that one of the victims of the harassment charges “reported to police that she suspected Mathews had used a BB gun to damage vehicles belonging to her and her daughter.” 

Police claim that during their search of the man’s home, they also found a slingshot and multiple ball bearings, which authorities believe Mathews had allegedly used to damage two vehicles belong to his neighbors, causing an estimated $2,350 in damages. 

The prosecutor’s office said that Mathews also allegedly stalked one of the vehicle’s owners. 

The man has also been charged with crimes related to “numerous psilocybin mushrooms,” a hallucinogenic drug, seized from his home, along with packaging materials, according to authorities.  

Mathews was caught in a more than six-minute video last week yelling racist slurs at his Black neighbor and pushing against him with his chest. 

Mathews, who is white, went up to the camera and read off his address, telling viewers to “come f—ing see me” and “bring whoever.”

Three days later, protesters began arriving outside his home, with crowds growing to more than 100 people. 

Video from Monday evening showed police taking Mathews into custody, clearing a path through the group of demonstrators to bring him into a police car. 

Mathews in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer apologized for his actions, claiming he was drunk and that the argument erupted from a longtime dispute with the homeowners’ association.

The prosecutor’s office said Thursday that it had petitioned the court to keep Mathews in custody during the adjudication of his charges, with a detention hearing likely taking place on Tuesday. 

“Our office will continue to investigate the previously reported complaints lodged against Mr. Mathews,” Coffina said in a statement, urging the public to send in to his office any other relevant information they may have on Mathews.