A New Jersey grand jury indicted a man last week accused of carving a swastika into his neighbor's front lawn, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
Scott Cooney, 45, faces a bias intimidation charge after the alleged victims said he harassed and used anti-Semitic and homophobic language against them for months, culminating in Cooney carving the swastika into their Lakewood Township lawn, Patch.com reported.
On Aug. 10, the unnamed victims said they saw Cooney in their front yard using what appeared to be a lead pipe to carve something into the lawn.
Not wanting the situation to escalate, the residents stayed inside until their neighbor left. They later went outside and saw the Nazi symbol, took a picture of it and notified the Lakewood Police Department, prosecutors previously told NJ.com.
An investigation led to Cooney being arrested three days later and indicted on Dec. 17 for one count of fourth-degree bias intimidation. He faces up to 18 months in prison if he is found guilty.
The swastika was a symbol of peace and good fortune for thousands of years until the Nazis adopted it while committing atrocities during World War II.
