Dion Marsh, Hate Crimes, New Jersey 2024

A string of brutal attacks on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, New Jersey, has led to federal hate crime charges against Dion Marsh, 27, of Manchester, NJ.

The charges, announced by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, include four counts of violating the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking.

Marsh is accused of willfully causing bodily injury to four victims, and attempting to kill and cause injuries with dangerous weapons to three of them, all because they were Jewish. He is currently in custody on related state charges and will make his initial appearance on the federal charges on a date to be determined.

The attacks allegedly took place on April 8, with Marsh forcing a visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man out of his car at 1:18 p.m. and assaulting and injuring him. A surveillance video captured Marsh arriving in the area prior to the carjacking and assault.

At 6:06 p.m., Marsh was driving a different car when he deliberately struck another visibly identifiable Orthodox Jewish man with the vehicle, causing the victim to suffer several broken bones. The attacks continued, with Marsh stabbing one victim in the chest with a knife and striking another with his vehicle in nearby Jackson Township, New Jersey.

The hate crimes violations charging Marsh with attempting to kill those victims each carry a statutory maximum term of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The hate crime violation charging Marsh with assaulting the other victim carries a statutory maximum term of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The carjacking charge carries a statutory maximum term of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation was led by the FBI Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., as well as the Lakewood Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, and New Jersey State Police.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko for the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division. Marsh is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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