NJ man charged for yelling racial slurs and spitting on black neighbor – Daily Mail

A white man who hurled racial abuse at a black neighbor – shoving him with his chest and telling him he was ‘from Africa’ before spitting on him – has been arrested and charged with harassment and assault.

Edward Cagney Mathews, 45, was arrested on Monday evening after a crowd of around 150 protesters gathered outside of his Mount Laurel home for hours.

Police could be seen marching Mathews out of his home at Essex Place Condominiums after a new charge was filed, through a crowd and into a police cruiser while wearing handcuffs. 

After Mathews was taken from his home, protesters smashed his condo’s windows and police in riot gear pushed them away from the area, NJ.com reported. 

Now, more neighbors are coming forward, claiming that Mathews allegedly harassed them in the past.  

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Jazmyn Suszynski and her mother Aliya Robinson were at the protest and claimed to be victimized by Mathews in the past, without getting specific.

‘I tried. We have tried to get justice, and if we got justice, this wouldn’t be happening now,’ Robinson said to WPVI.

Her comments followed up on previous allegations made against Mathews.

‘The guy is off his rocker and they need to get him out. He cannot be racially harassing and assaulting people, spitting on people, busting down doors, breaking windows and writing white lives matter on stuff,’ Robinson told FOX 29 Philadelphia.

Her daughter added, ‘When we first moved [to another complex], I guess he didn’t think minorities should live there, so he kicked my door in with my children there.’

Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, claims her home was vandalized before Friday night’s latest incident.

‘Sad because it should not be that many times,’ the neighbor said. ‘If the justice system had done their work earlier… he would not be here at this point.’

Neighbors also allege that Mathews wrote a racial slur on the fence of a board member of his homeowners’ association.

Mathews has claimed his anger was the result of a housing dispute he’s been having with the homeowners’ association.

The Mount Laurel Police Department has said they are familiar with Mathews from previous complaints, but that in past cases a lot of the evidence was circumstantial. 

DailyMail.com has reached out the Mount Laurel PD to learn more of previous encounters with Mathews. 

He will face an additional charge after the prosecutor’s office reviewed additional footage from the incident and determined Mathews spat on the victim, said Mount Laurel Police Spokesman Kyle Gardner.  

On Monday evening, prosecutors said at a press conference that they were bringing new charges against Mathews based on additional video footage. 

Protesters were enraged at new footage that emerged on social media showing him confronting his neighbors, using the N-word and calling them monkeys.

They could be heard yelling ‘We want Edward’ outside his home on Monday after he challenged protestors to come to his home, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

There was additional damage in the protests to adjoining homes and Mount Laurel Police Chief Stephen Riedener says 10 to 15 officers were hit with bottles or pepper spray.

‘In large part the protesters that were here were peaceful and they were actually working with us and we spoke to many of them to try to get them to cooperate with us so that we could keep everyone safe,’ Riedener said.

He added that police would review body camera footage to see who committed property damaged or attacked officers.

Mathews is expected to remain in jail until his first court date – which hasn’t been scheduled – making it uncertain if protesters will return on Tuesday.

When the police were called to the incident that sparked the protests, Mathews refused to go home and stood yelling abuse at his neighbor from the sidewalk, even as the officer told him: ‘Cagney, cut it out, man – let me talk to them.’ 

In the footage showing the confrontation on Friday, Mathews gives his address several times before finally walking away saying: ‘Come f****** see me.’ 

A large crowd of around 150 people accepted his invitation, and gathered at his home on Monday. 

‘Now, what I did was not acceptable,’ said Mathews, in footage captured by protesters on Monday night. 

‘It’s completely wrong.’ 

Earlier, he told The Philadelphia Inquirer he had been drunk and lost his temper.

It’s not clear if the man Mathews was targeting is somehow involved in the ongoing dispute with the HOA, the details of which have not been revealed publicly.

‘I certainly wasn’t expecting an encounter like that and certainly wasn’t expecting to disrespect anybody,’ Mathews said. ‘Let me be clear: That is no excuse for what I said, but I lost my temper.’ 

‘Anybody that knows me know that I just talk like this,’ he said. 

In a statement posted online on Monday morning, the Mount Laurel police department said Mathews was charged with harassment and biased intimidation but was initially issued a summons and was not arrested.

Mount Laurel is located 19 miles east of Philadelphia. 

Scott Coffina, Burlington County prosecutor, commended the victim who was targeted by Mathews in the video.

‘He showed incredible restraint with someone spewing awful, vile things in his face and assaulting him,’ Coffina said. 

‘He didn’t deserve that. None of the residents deserve that. No one should ever feel unsafe in their home.’ 

On Monday evening police officers stood at the door of Mathews’ home while protesters gathered outside. 

When police moved to arrest Mathews around 7:30pm, footage posted by a reporter shows protesters throwing objects towards officers and Mathews as they walk to a police car and then at the car as it drove away. 

Bottles were allegedly thrown by some protesters, though others urged the perpetrators to stop. 

Additionally, mace was allegedly tossed by someone in the crowd, leading to two arrests. 

‘He said to pull up. We pulled up,’ Robinson, 43, a real estate agent said. ‘We’re not going to tolerate this anymore.’ 

Police say they are investigating other incidents involving Mathews. He denies being involved in any past vandalism or harassment. 

Marcus Sibley, president of the Southern Burlington NAACP, said Mathews has been harassing black residents in the neighborhood for at least three years and police had been notified in the past.

‘The main thing that makes you shake your head is how in the world has this gone unaddressed,’ Sibley said. 

‘We’re looking for reform. When we say that we feel intimidated, we feel like we’re being hurt and harmed, we would love for the response to be: “This is wrong. This is inhumane. This is disrespectful, and we are going to prosecute at the fullest extent of the law, so other people learn this isn’t how you treat people.”‘

One neighbor claims the problems began two years ago and says Mathews has ‘been harassing ever since.’ 

Another neighbor told CBS Philly: ‘He used a BB gun to shoot their windows out, he smeared dog feces all over their car.’ 

The township’s mayor and council released a statement Monday denouncing Mathew’s racism and ‘acts of hate like it.’

‘To say that we are appalled by the disturbing and vicious act of hate which was caught on camera would be an understatement,’ the statement read. 

‘This man’s actions do not reflect who we are as a community nor out values. 

‘Nobody should be made to feel unsafe or unwelcome in their own neighborhood let alone in their hometown.’

In an interview with NBC10 on Monday, Mathews claimed that he was not a racist.

‘I’ve never been a racist,’ Mathews stated. ‘I’ve made mistakes. Said racial slurs out of anger or being drunk. I may not be able to relate to communities of color but I am not a racist and I have the upmost respect for us as a community.’

‘It was a lapse of judgment at a moment at my weakest point and my anger got the best of me,’ he added. 

Nevertheless, one former employer is distancing themselves from Mathews.

‘To anyone that has seen the video that has gone viral. Cagney Matthews does not and has not worked for Nuss Construction for almost 5 years now,’ Nuss Construction Company posted to Facebook on Monday.

‘We are a small family owned and operated business and we are very devastated to see all the attacks on us. We have zero tolerance for any form of racism!’ 

Mathews is currently in the Burlington County Jail. He doesn’t have a court date scheduled yet, but should have one within the next three days.