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Ron Carr charged with series of anti-Semitic crimes in Manchester
Ron Carr is accused of a series of anti-Semitic crimes in Manchester and the burning down of a house on First Avenue.
Thomas P. Costello and Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press
TOMS RIVER – Ron Carr, a 35-year-old Manchester man who pleaded guilty to arson and other charges related to a series of anti-Semitic crimes last year, was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Superior Court judge on Aug. 16, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Carr also received a prison sentence of five years and 18 months for the same crimes. The sentences will be served concurrently, Billhimer said.
Carr was accused of spray-painting swastikas and other graffiti on 14 homes in Manchester’s Pine Lake Park neighborhood and setting fire to another home that was under construction there on June 6 and 7, 2023. The fire destroyed the home, spread to nearby woods and also damaged three other homes, authorities said.
Previously: Manchester man admits arson and spraying swastikas in series of anti-Semitic crimes
The vandalism occurred on June 6 and the fire the following day, June 7. No one was injured in the fire, Billimer said.
The series of crimes occurred amid legal and zoning disputes over the locations of synagogues and Orthodox Jewish schools in Ocean County, where Orthodox communities are growing rapidly.
Carr was found in the area of Commonwealth Boulevard and Larchmont Street on June 7 and arrested without incident. Carr told police he “saved the neighborhood” when they found him shortly after the fire. According to court documents, Carr stated he committed the crimes to keep Jews away.
About two months ago, on June 20, Carr pleaded guilty to the charges before Supreme Court Judge Guy P. Ryan.
More: Does hate have a home here? The towns of Monmouth and Ocean see many incidents of prejudice in 2022.
Ryan sentenced Carr to seven years in a New Jersey state prison because he previously pleaded guilty to arson in connection with the incidents, Billhimer said.
Carr was also sentenced to five years in prison for his previous guilty plea to bias intimidation and 18 months in connection with his previous guilty pleas to two counts of malicious damage to property.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel isn’t covering the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he’s a history professor. Reach him at @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; [email protected].
