New Jersey man sentenced to 7 years in arson, antisemitic graffiti cases

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A New Jersey man has been sentenced to seven years in prison in connection with arson and anti-Semitic graffiti last year, authorities said.

Ocean County prosecutors said Ron Carr, 35, of Manchester Township was sentenced Friday on guilty pleas to arson, bias, intimidation and criminal damage. The seven-year, five-year and 18-month terms imposed for the convictions will run concurrently.

In a news release, prosecutors said that in June 2023, city police were called to the Pine Lake Park area and found 14 homes vandalized with spray paint featuring “Nazi symbols.” The next day, emergency crews were called to a fire that destroyed one home and damaged three others.

Carr was arrested in both cases, and authorities alleged in a sworn statement detailing the charges that he made several anti-Semitic statements to investigators during questioning. He told police he was “saving the neighborhood” and thought the house he burned would be turned into a school or “prayerland,” the sworn statement said.

Defense attorney Shane Paugh said after Carr was arraigned that he hoped his client “gets the help he needs,” NJ.com reported.

The Asbury Park Press reports that the crimes came amid “legal battles and zoning disputes over the placement of synagogues and Orthodox Jewish schools in Ocean County, where Orthodox communities are growing rapidly.”