New Jersey
New Jersey man formally sentenced to 8 years in prison after racist rant went viral
This story originally appeared on 6abc.
A New Jersey man caught on video using racist slurs against his Black neighbors was formally sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday.
The sentencing was part of the plea deal announced back in October, when Edward Mathews pled guilty to four counts of bias intimidation.
Mathews, 47, sparked outrage in his Mount Laurel community more than two years ago when video of his racist rant went viral.
The investigation began July 2, 2021, after a resident came to the Mount Laurel Police Department to file a harassment complaint against Mathews.
A short time later, a Mount Laurel police officer responded to a home for a report of a man needing to be removed from the area.
Authorities say the officer found Mathews using racial slurs against several other residents.