A Livingston teenager has been charged in the slashing of the Pride banner that hung at the corner of South Livingston Avenue andNorthfieldRoad during June’s Pridemonth. The banner, displayed at Northfield Center to support the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, was slashed on multiple occasions.
The 17-year-old male resident was identified through an anonymous tip and subsequent investigation, according to Livingston Police Chief Gary Marshuetz. He was charged with criminal mischief and bias intimidation.
“These types of crimes are always considered very serious,” Chief Marshuetz said. “Any type of bias intimidation has been and will continue to be thoroughly investigated by this department and those individuals will be charged to the fullest extent when evidence indicates any type of bias intimidation.”
Marshuetz continued, “The Livingston Police Department will continue to enforce New Jersey’s zero tolerance policy toward any type of bias intimidation or hate crime against protected classes of citizens.”
He added that the department is always appreciative of tips from the community, such as the ones that contributed to an arrest in this case.
At the time of the initial incident in June, Mayor Michael Vieira said, “That’s not something that should happen in Livingston, but it did, and I’m very disappointed.”
The incidents had been reported to the state as a bias crime. After the second slashing of the banner, cameras were installed to monitor the area. Previously, none of the nearby businesses had cameras that surveilled that specific area.
