New Jersey man filmed shouting racial slurs at Black neighbors in viral video sentenced to 8 years in prison

Edward C Mathews, a New Jersey man captured in a viral video harassing his Black neighbors and hurling racial epithets, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Sentenced

In October, Mathews, 47, pled guilty to:

• four counts of bias intimidation
• possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute

The charges stem from a July 2021 incident in which viral video showed him repeatedly calling his Black neighbors the N-word and another offensive slur outside a home in Mount Laurel, N.J.

“Our office is committed to combatting bias crimes. We are sending a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated in our community,” Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said in a statement. “Nobody should have to endure what these victims experienced.”

Mathews is accused of terrorizing his Black neighbors

Before the viral incident, a neighbor filed a harassment complaint against Mathews with the Mount Laurel Police Department. That same day, police received a report about a man who needed to be removed from the area.

When officers arrived to the scene, they found Mathews “using racial slurs while engaged in a verbal altercation with four residents,” prosecutors said. During a search of Mathews’ home, police found numerous psilocin mushrooms, which are known for their hallucinogenic effect, according to prosecutors.

Bradshaw said Mathews had been terrorizing his Black neighbors long before the viral moment, including a time when he allegedly left a threatening note on one of their vehicles. He was also accused of stalking, smearing feces on his neighbors’ windows and damaging their cars, NBC Philadelphia reported.

According to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mathews apologized before his sentencing.

“Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future,” he told the judge, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I want to commit to rebuild the community.”

Mathews must serve at least four years before he is eligible for parole.