Lakewood, NJ – A 20-year-old Lakewood man has admitted violently robbing two men he said were targeted for the crimes because they are Orthodox Jews.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Devon Hardy of McArthur Street pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and two counts of bias intimidation related to crimes in Lakewood on May 25 and July 8 of last year.
In entering his guilty plea before Superior Court Judge James Den Uyl, Hardy said an alleged accomplice, Jose Diaz, selected the Orthodox Jewish men as victims because he knew them to be easy targets.
“It wasn’t a hate crime, but they were selected because of their religion,” said First Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Ronald DeLigny.
The first victim, David Davidovish, 38, was visiting from Israel when he was robbed on May 25, 2008, as he sat in a car in front of a convenience store on Route 9, police said.
DeLigny said Davidovish was assaulted with a bat. He suffered a broken nose and required stitches, DeLigny said. Several hundred dollars and a laptop computer were stolen from him.
In court, Hardy admitted to smashing the victim’s windshield with the bat and stealing his money and laptop.
The second victim was a rabbi, Jack Goldbaum, 41. Hardy admitted stabbing Goldbaum twice as he stood outside his home in Lakewood, talking on a cell phone on July 8, 2008.
DeLigny alleged that Hardy was accompanied by Diaz, 32, of Joe Parker Road in Lakewood, and Timothy Swift, 19, of West Gilford Park in Toms River, and that the accomplices punched Goldbaum and stole his wallet.
Swift previously pleaded guilty to robbery in the Goldbaum case and is facing a 10-year prison term, DeLigny said.
Both Swift and Hardy agreed to testify against Diaz, who is charged in both incidents.
Under terms of his plea bargain, Hardy is facing 30 years in prison and will be required to serve at least 19 1/2 years of the term before he can be considered for release on parole, DeLigny said. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
So it wasn’t a hate crime. The assailants just love beating up the Jews.
If this creep was targeting Orthodox Jews can this moron prosecutor please tell us why it wasn’t a hate crime. I am certain that if someone said that he was targeting blacks he would not dare to say that it wasn’t a hate crime because he would have that fat tub of lard, Al, on his case.
If he targeted the jews bec he figured that they would be easier targets, that is certainly NOT a hate crime.
A hate crime would be, targeting jews bec he hates jews. According to the aricle, the DA has a very valid point.
you either hate em or love em. no room for leniancy. lock up em up for life…
When you hit someone in the head with a baseball bat (case #1 ) or you stab someone (case #2 ), who cares if it’s a hate crime or not. To me, it sounds like attempted murder. When you stab someone, unless it’s to help remove a splinter, it’s serious. Also, l’fi ani’at da’ti, 30 years means that you sit in prison until 2039. Vos eppis 19 1/2 years?
This 20 year old minuval, will be eligible for release, when he will be 39 years old. Still young enough to do lots of harm.
Part of the problem with our criminal system, is that it’s a mockery. If two Yeshiva guys would have hit a Black guy over the head with a bat, or stabbed one of them, we would have every demagogue, from the Reverend Al Sharpton (who gave him his “klaf”?), to our new Commander in Chief (the police acted stupidly), crawling from the woodwork, just to make a little trouble!