LAKEWOOD, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A snow plow driver has been suspended after a now-deleted video allegedly showed him laughing and purposefully spreading snow on two Orthodox Jewish men walking in Lakewood, New Jersey, on Saturday evening.
Driver Donny Klarmann's employer, Waste Management, condemned the incident on social media, saying he was off-duty at the time and has since been penalized.
"We are aware of an incident that was posted by an off-duty Waste Management employee to his personal social media account," a statement said. "The hateful conduct depicted in this video is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of inclusion and diversity we hold as a company."
They added, "The employee is suspended while we investigate the incident, but we can confirm that this behavior will not be tolerated from any WM employee, and we will not employ those who act in this way."
In the disturbing video reposted by the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch, Klarmann and a passenger could be overheard laughing and spraying snow on the men dressed in traditional Orthodox clothing as they walked on a snow-covered road. The video was captioned, "This one’s for you JC."
The Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey condemned the act on Twitter.
"We are absolutely disgusted by this video footage, which appears to show a snowplow operator intentionally and callously targeting two Orthodox Jewish men," the organization said. "This conduct is as dangerous as it is disturbing, and we urge the victims to file a report with the Lakewood police."
Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles told News 12 that the conduct and Facebook caption left no doubt to him that it was a hate crime act, and that the men were not seriously injured and will press charges.
In a statement on Monday, Lakewood Police Department spokesperson Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office "will be providing information as soon as it becomes available."
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