NJ racist rant video: Edward Cagney Mathews taken into custody

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MOUNT LAUREL, New Jersey (WPVI) – The man at the center of a community protest in Mount Laurel, New Jersey – sparked by his racist rant against a neighbor – was arrested Monday night.

Bottles of water and ice were thrown at Edward C. Mathews and police officers as he was taken outside.

“It was a difficult situation to extract it,” said Mt. Laurel Police Chief Steve Riedner. “Unfortunately, some in the crowd made it more dangerous for everyone.”

Mathews will remain behind bars for assault until he is brought to justice, which is expected in the coming days.

Mathews is also accused of bias bullying stemming from a now viral video that shows him casually throwing the n-word repeatedly at his neighbors.

The Ring Camera video shows the moments before the viral video. It shows Mathews knocking on the door of his neighbors – an interracial senior couple – demanding that the husband come out and talk to him.

Investigators say it was this video of Ring that led to the assault charge.

“I have every right to be here. Get your husband,” we hear Mathews say.

The situation worsened when another neighbor intervened on behalf of the couple.

Most viral videos on Facebook are too graphic to read.

“It’s not Africa, or (inaudible) or anywhere (expletive) you were,” Mathews is heard saying.

The other man in the video replied, “I was born in America, and I’m not giving a (curse) about you.”

Action News spoke to Mathews via Zoom before he was taken into custody.

“There is nothing I can say that will justify me using the words I have used,” he said. “Whatever I have to do to redeem myself from the community – and the world at this point, seeing how big it is – understand I made a mistake, let me move on , as we all deserve, ”said Mathieu.

The dispute, according to neighbors, stems from months of problems with the HOA development board.

Before the viral video ended, Mathews gave out his address, apparently encouraging the protesters, who arrived at the right time.

Earlier in the day, Mathews came out to address the crowd but was brought back inside the house.

Police confirm they have already received complaints about Mathews. A woman who spoke to Action News did not want to show her face, but says Mathews vandalized her home just before this now viral encounter with her neighbor.

“Sad because it shouldn’t be so frequent. If justice had done its job earlier (…) he wouldn’t be here at this point,” she said.

HAPPENING NOW: Protesters gathered outside the house on Mt. A man from Laurel NJ captured on video shouting offensive and racist slurs at his neighbors.

Man identified by police as Edward Mathews faces charges of harassment and one-sided bullying. @ 6abc pic.twitter.com/brReZEHWfi

– George Solis (@GeorgeSolis) July 5, 2021

“We’re not just going to let him harass people, especially black people within this community or any community,” said protester John Clayton of Cinnaminson.

Jazmyn Suszynski and his mother Aliya Robinson also showed up to protest. They claimed that they had also been victims of Mathews in the past years.

“I tried. We tried to get justice, and if we got justice, that wouldn’t happen now,” Robinson said.

“The Mount Laurel Police Department does not tolerate any form of hateful or one-sided bullying,” the service said in a statement. “This type of behavior is completely unacceptable. We can assure our residents that incidents like this are fully investigated and that those who commit such offenses will be held accountable for their actions.”

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