Man Charged With Federal Hate Crime In Rutgers Islamic Student Center Vandalism

A man was charged Monday with a federal hate crime following the vandalism and burglary of an Islamic student center at Rutgers University earlier this month.

Jacob Beacher has been arrested and is in federal custody, according to an email to the Rutgers community from Kenneth Cop, the chief of the Rutgers University Police Department. HuffPost obtained the email Monday, and Megan Schumann, a spokesperson for Rutgers, subsequently confirmed the arrest and shared additional information. Beacher’s initial appearance before a federal judge was scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

The vandalism occurred in the early morning hours of April 10 on Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and included a break-in and smashed religious objects.