Man Charged With Harassment After Bias Incident In Chatham: Cops

CHATHAM BOROUGH, NJ — A man was charged with one count of harassment after Chatham Borough police investigated an alleged bias incident. Although few specific details are available, people reported the man to police for three separate incidents in one day.

A man rode a bike to a North Passaic Avenue home just before noon Thursday to ask about a room for rent, police said. The resident told him he must be mistaken, but he asked to come inside to use his phone, police said. When the victim refused, the suspect made "some vulgar and bias type comments" and left the property, police said.

Shortly after, he approached someone at a Main Street service station and made harassing comments toward her, according to police.

Later on, Madison police investigated someone acting disorderly at a Main Street grocery store. Madison's authorities contacted Chatham Borough police, who found the same person linked to all three incidents.

The 34-year-old man from Orange was charged with one count of harassment. Police didn't release his name.

New Jersey defines bias incidents as suspected or confirmed violations of the state's bias-intimidation statute, in which a victim is subjected to harassment,assault, terroristic threats or other specified acts "because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity."

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