Dion Mars, 27, of Manchester Township, has been arrested and is facing multiple offenses in Friday’s crime involving Lakewood and Jackson, including charges of attempted murder and intimidation, according to the Ocean Attorney’s Office. “We are grateful to the federal and local law enforcement agencies for their prompt response to the arrest of the suspect and the prosecution of allegations of bullying,” said Scott Richman, Regional Director for the New York and New Jersey Anti-Defamation League. Although authorities have not provided details of the alleged bias, ADL said Mars “said he made anti-Semitic comments at the time of his arrest,” according to a statement. The attacks ended with a knife on an Orthodox Jew, the anti-hatred group said. “I am personally terrified of the cruelty with which the suspect allegedly behaved,” Richman said. “More precautions must be taken to prevent violence against the Jewish community, and in particular the visibly recognizable Jews in Ocean County and throughout our region. “We re-engage ourselves and our organization to work with the government, educational institutions, interfaith and intergovernmental partners and law enforcement to achieve this goal. Jews should not be afraid to do their jobs freely without living in fear of being targeted. “In recent years we have seen a lot of attacks on Jews.” Lakewood is home to a large Orthodox Jewish community of more than 100,000, two-thirds of whom are Orthodox. Gov. Phil Murphy praised the response of law enforcement officials, saying the security of “faith communities” is a top priority. “I applaud the efforts of law enforcement in Lakewood and Ocean County to quickly arrest the man believed to have committed a series of serious crimes last night, including multiple violent offenses,” the governor said in a statement Saturday. “Tammy and I pray for the full recovery of all the victims. The security of our communities, and especially the communities of our faith, is not only a primary concern but also among my highest priorities. We will continue to work with all those who share this commitment, so that no resident ever needs to live in fear. “ Meanwhile, Ocean Bradley County Attorney D. Billhimer said investigators believe Marsh acted alone in the spree. The attacks started around 1:15 p.m. when the perpetrator approached a 2016 Toyota Camry in the Martin Luther King Drive and Pine Street area, he attacked the driver and stole his vehicle, according to authorities. More than five hours later, a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle in the area of Central Avenue and Carlton Avenue, and less than an hour later a man was stabbed near Pine Circle Drive and Lakewood New Egypt Road, according to Billhimer. The pedestrian was recorded in a stable condition while the victim with a knife is said to be in a critical but stable condition. Authorities said the violence continued when Jackson’s police were called to a pedestrian who was beaten near Galasi Court shortly before 9 p.m. This person was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. “Responding officers were able to determine that the male victim was hit by the same vehicle that was seized in the car robbery in Lakewood earlier that day,” the prosecutor said. “An investigation by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crime Unit and the Lake Township Police Department has revealed that Mars was responsible for all of these crimes,” Bilheimer said. The New Jersey State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Army Service and the State Homeland Security and Assistance Bureau assisted with the investigation. “If, during the local investigation, information comes to light about a possible federal breach, the FBI is ready to investigate,” the FBI’s Newark office said on Twitter. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said his office was in “close contact” with Ossian County authorities. “Thank you for the quick and collective efforts of law enforcement. “The allegations are serious and we are confident that justice will be done,” Platkin wrote on Twitter. It was unclear if Marsh had retained a lawyer who could comment on the allegations. Reports of hate crimes and motivated incidents increased for the third consecutive year in 2021, according to data from the State Police and the Department of Civil Rights. Thank you for counting on us to provide local news that you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with voluntary assistance. Noah Cohen can be achieved at [email protected].
