MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A Monmouth Junction man was arrested Monday for posting death threats against a Florida sheriff who announced a crackdown on antisemitic hate groups, the South Brunswick Police Department and Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
Richard Golden, 38, was arrested at a Tanglewood Court home around 1 p.m. Police seized his electronic devices during the raid.
Golden allegedly threatened Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood on the anonymous social media site 4chan, which is notorious for extremist content and its influential role in internet culture.
“Just shoot Chitwood in the head. He stops being a problem,” Golden allegedly wrote on Feb. 23. “They have to find a new guy to be the new problem. But shooting Chitwood in the head solves the immediate problem permanently. Murder him.”
The threat came after Chitwood announced a crackdown on hate crimes in response to a hate group distributing antisemitic literature at the Daytona International Speedway.
“You came to the wrong county,” he said during a press conference. “I stand with my Jewish friends, and I’m honored to be on your hit list. It’s an honor to be sought after by a bunch of punk thugs like you.”
Police traced Golden’s IP address to make the arrest. He’s being held at Middlesex County Jail pending extradition to Florida, where he faces charges for threat of serious bodily injury or death through a written communication.
“The anonymous nature of the internet may make people feel they can say anything, but if you make threats or put people in fear we will use all our resources to track you down,” said South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka. “Yesterday showed that being 974 miles away from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office was no distance too great for the teamwork of law enforcement.”
Chitwood derided the suspect as a keyboard radical at a press conference Tuesday.
"Here's a clown who is sitting in his bedroom who is indoctrinated by this bulls**t and thinks the best way to solve this problem is to put a bullet in my head," he said.
