Manchester man admits arson, spray-painting swastikas in antisemitic crime spree

Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read

TOMS RIVER - A 35-year-old Manchester man is facing seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to arson and other charges stemming from an antisemitic crime spree last year, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.

Ron Carr pleaded guilty Thursday before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to arson, bias intimidation and two counts of criminal mischief related to vandalism he committed in Manchester on June 6, 2023, and the early morning of the next day, Billhimer said.

Carr was accused of spray-painting swastikas and other graffiti on 14 homes in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester and setting fire to another home that was under construction there. The fire destroyed the home, spread to nearby woods and also damaged three other houses, authorities said.

After police responding to the fire found Carr a short time later in the area of Commonwealth Boulevard and Larchmont Street, he told him he was "saving the neighborhood," and indicated he committed the crimes to keep Jewish people out, according to court documents.

Ron Carr was charged with an antisemitic crime spree in Manchester along with burning down a First Avenue home.
Ron Carr was charged with an antisemitic crime spree in Manchester along with burning down a First Avenue home.

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When he was asked why he spray-painted the homes with graffiti, Carr responded that he did it to "keep sneaky penguins out," court documents said.

Asked to clarify, Carr laughed and said, "Jews," Manchester Detective Patrick Cervenak wrote in an affidavit of probable cause to charge the defendant with the crimes.

When Cervenak asked him why he set the fire, Carr responded that he was "saving the neighborhood," Cervanik wrote in the affidavit. He told the detective he feared the house "will destroy everything" and become a "school" or "prayerland," Cervenak wrote in the affidavit.

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While being questioned, Carr made "multiple antisemitic statements," the affidavit said.

The crime spree was committed amid legal battles and zoning disputes over placement of synagogues and Orthodox Jewish schools in residential communities in Ocean County with rapidly growing Orthodox communities.

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Carr has been held without bail at the Ocean County Jail since his arrest. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16.

The state will recommend then that Carr be sentenced to seven years in prison for the arson, with concurrent terms of five years for bias intimidation and 18 months for each of the criminal mischief counts.

The remains of 1932 First Avenue in Manchester is shown Thursday, June 8, 2023. The home was gutted by a suspicious fire.
The remains of 1932 First Avenue in Manchester is shown Thursday, June 8, 2023. The home was gutted by a suspicious fire.

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Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Manchester antisemitic crimes: Man pleads guilty to arson, mischief