Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A New Jersey firefighter is facing criminal hate crime charges following a noose-related incident in the Bloomfield Fire Department. Walter Coffee is facing charges of harassment with intent to intimidate on account of race or color.
The charges were brought by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. The victim, Patrick Thomas, is black while Coffee is white. The incident occurred on November 16, 2023 while crews were training on ropes and rappelling. Thomas was quoted by NY Channel 4 as explaining what happened as follows:
- One of my co-workers tied a noose and gave it to me.
- He was laughing and he was like, “I want you to figure out what kind of knot this is.”
- So my reply was, “I know exactly what this is. This is a noose. I said, “This is what people used to hang my ancestors from trees.”
- I didn’t know how to feel. And I felt anger. Still very angry.
- My Captain and another one of the firefighters came to check on me. And I could tell by the look in their faces they were in shock.
Thomas further said the same firefighter previously engaged in similar behavior about a week earlier as a different training:
- The same guy came up to me while I was standing outside and said, ‘Hey Thomas, there’s a noose upstairs on the table.”
- I said, why would I want to see a noose? He looked at me, he laughed.
- He was like, “I am just telling you.”
News reports have not identified the specific crime alleged, but it would appear to fit New Jersey Statute § 2C:16-1, with the statute being § 2C:33-4 – Harassment.
Thomas has reportedly already retained legal counsel who obtained a restraining order against Coffee. Coffee has been suspended without pay. More on the story.
