Independent Investigation Launched After NJ Man's Racist Rant

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ — A Mount Laurel man whose racist rant toward a Black neighbor was caught on camera and sparked a community protest Monday could face additional charges. In addition, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced it will investigate the Mount Laurel Police Department's handling of the incident.

The man at the center of the now-viral video, Edward Cagney Mathews, 45, has been charged with assault, harassment and biased intimidation in connection with a heated encounter between him and a neighbor Friday.

In the video, Mathews repeatedly yells racial slurs at a neighbor, calling him a “monkey” and a “n-----r.” He is also seen chest-bumping a man who interceded between him and a neighbor. When a Mount Laurel police officer arrives, he continues to shout the slurs, even as the officer addresses him by name and tells him to go home.

“First and foremost, we want to thank the community for their involvement and advocacy in shining a bright light on this individual’s menacing interactions within the Mount Laurel community," several Burlington County leaders said Tuesday in a joint statement. "The video footage that was provided was critical to the prosecutor’s office being able to file additional charges of bias intimidation and harassment against Mr. Mathews."

Following his court appearance Tuesday, seven Burlington County leaders announced the next steps into the case. The announcement comes also as several neighbors told multiple news outlets that Mathews' harassment went beyond just the use of racial slurs.

"We fully understand the community’s frustration and anger as to what was witnessed in that video. We have heard from many residents that the behavior depicted by Mathews was not an isolated incident, but rather a part of a pattern of racial intimidation and hostility," read a joint statement, in part, by Congressman Andy Kim, State Senator Troy Singleton, Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Mount Laurel Mayor Stephen Steglik.

On Tuesday, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced it is launching an independent investigation into any and all incidents involving Mathews in Mount Laurel.

To assist in the investigation, the prosecutor's office is presently asking anyone who has information about other incidents involving Mathews that they would like to share can do so by emailing the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office at tips@co.burlington.nj.us.

The investigation doesn't stop there. According to WPVI-TV, protestors also gathered outside the Mount Laurel Police Department, upset that Mathews hadn't been arrested sooner. They claim Mathews has a long history of harassment and racism.

On Monday, Mount Laurel Police Chief Stephen Riedener confirmed to NBC 10 that his department had received previous complaints about Mathews.

"He had been brought to court before but those charges were either dismissed or no probable cause was ever found," Chief Riedener told the TV station. "We had investigated him several times. But until this particular incident where the neighbors had video available from the ring cameras and things of that nature, we were finally able to get the evidence that we needed to actually charge him with the crimes he was committing."

Because of expressed concerns from the community, the prosecutor’s office announced it will also "undertake an investigation into the circumstances of the Mount Laurel Police Department’s handling of the incident that took place Friday."

"Additionally, we remind the public that if anyone has concerns about the conduct of any police department in Burlington County, you can report incidents of police misconduct to your local police department's internal affairs office, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigations Unit at 609-265-5035, or the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability at 1-844-OPIA-TIP (844-674-2847)," Burlington County leaders said in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, Mathews told ABC Action News that he is not a racist and is sorry for his behavior Friday.

"There is nothing I'm going to be able to say that's going to justify me using the words that I used," he told the TV station. "Whatever I have to do to make it up to the community - and the world at this point, seeing how big it is - understand that I made a mistake, allow me the ability to move forward, just like we all deserve."

SEE ALSO:

• Mount Laurel Man's Racist Rant On Video Sparks Protest