A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to a bias intimidation charge after he stopped a Black Amazon driver to ask if he realized he was in a “racist neighborhood” and then threatened to shoot him.
Prosecutors say 64-year-old John Vincentini was driving through a neighborhood in Lacey, New Jersey, on Sept. 5, 2022, and decided to follow an Amazon driver into a cul-de-sac where the driver was making deliveries.
According to Patch, a probable cause affidavit stated that Vincentini parked his car in front of the delivery truck to block it. Then, Vincentini confronted the driver.
“What are you doing in my neighborhood, don’t you know this is a racist neighborhood,” Vincentini told the driver, according to the affidavit, per Patch. “Do you want me to get into my car, get my rifle, and blow your brains off?”
Investigators learned that Vincentini continued following the Amazon driver for a “short period of time,” and then he pulled into a driveway on a neighboring street. The driver later contacted police.
One month later, Vincentini turned himself in to authorities for bias intimidation. He was processed and released on a summons, the Ashbury Park Press reports.
Vincentini also pleaded guilty to unrelated drug and weapons charges connected to an illegal marijuana grow operation discovered at his home three months ago.
His neighbors called 911 on March 15, 2024, to report that a package of marijuana had been delivered to their doorstep in a repurposed Amazon box. Investigators learned Vincentini was responsible for the delivery.
Ten days later, police raided his home and seized about 10 pounds of marijuana, 15 marijuana plants, drug paraphernalia associated with the packaging and distribution of narcotics, two assault firearms, a rifle-style BB gun, and about $150,000.
He and his wife were taken into custody.
Prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison term for Vincentini’s bias intimidation charge and another five-year sentence for the drug charges.
According to the Jersey Shore Observer, Vincentini was the Lacey Township public works supervisor and has worked for the city since 2013.
