New Jersey man calls Sikh a ‘terrorist’

PARSIPPANY, NJ— A New Jersey man allegedly called a Sikh American a terrorist on Febraury 20 and told him to go back to his own country.

Steven Laverty, 20, of Morris Plains, New Jersey, has been charged with fourth-degree bias intimidation, harassment for striking or offensive touching, and harassment for communication in a manner to cause alarm to the victim, who has not been named.

He has also been charged with possession and being under the influence of controlled dangerous substances.

When the Indian American victim tried to use his phone to take photos of the suspect’s license plate, Laverty allegedly punched him and attempted to take his phone. The victim was able to avert the blow.

The evening exchange occurred at an Exxon gas station in Parsippany. The victim called the police after Laverty left the scene in a 2014 Toyota Corolla.

Assistant Prosecutor Justin Tellone told Morris County Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz that Laverty called the man “a terrorist, a Muslim, and that he should go back to his own country.”

Minkowitz ruled he should be detained because he was a danger to himself. The judge noted the suspect’s long history of drug abuse.