Bayonne man pleads guilty in anti-Muslim graffiti incident

Rasa - The Bayonne man charged with spray-painting anti-Muslim graffiti and "Donald Trump" on a building used by the local Muslim community pleaded guilty to criminal mischief today and the more serious charges have been dropped.

News ID: 425476

Date: 02 December 2016 - 19:22

RNA - The Bayonne man charged with spray-painting anti-Muslim graffiti and "Donald Trump" on a building used by the local Muslim community pleaded guilty to criminal mischief today and the more serious charges have been dropped.

Jonathon Hussey, 20, of West 27th Street, was charged with writing crude phrases such as "F--- Muslims" and "F--- Arabs" and the name of President-elect Donald Trump sometime overnight between Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 on the closed St. Henry School building at Avenue C and 27th Street, where the Muslim community leases space.

"He is very appreciative for the way it worked out," defense attorney Daniel Welsh said of Hussey, who can face a sentence of community service, making restitution and apologizing to the victims.

The criminal mischief charged is a disorderly persons offense, and as a result of today's plea, the charges of bias intimidation and criminal trespassing have been dropped.

Hussey will be sentenced on Jan. 3 by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul Depascale in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City.

"It ended up, actually, being a teaching moment because he realized how wrong he was and was very appreciative because the administrator of the Muslim center has been very forgiving and open-minded about the situation," Welsh said.

The graffiti was discovered just before 7 a.m. on Oct. 14 by members of the Muslim community who had arrived at the building for morning prayers.

Hussey was arrested that day after being identified by a witness and surveillance camera footage from nearby buildings, police said.

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