Is Jacob Beacher affiliated with Rutgers University?
Jacob Beacher, 24, of North Plainfield, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States is a former resident of New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. He is not affiliated with Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
Established on November 10, 1766, Rutgers University is the eighth oldest college in the U.S. Among its alumni are actors Mike Colter, 48, Sebastian Stan, 42, Brandon Flynn, 31, Midori Francis, 30, and Jessica Darrow, 29.
At around 2:39 a.m. on April 10, 2024 during the Eid- al-Fitr holiday, Breacher was caught on camera walking toward the rear door of the the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) in New Brunswick. At around 2:41 a.m., he forcibly entered the CILRU through its back door.
Inside the CILRU, Beacher damaged the CILRU’s property, including Turbah prayer stones, items that contained holy language from the Qur’an and several other religious artifacts. He stole at least one charity box belonging to the CILRU and a Palestinian flag.
The damage Beacher caused totaled more than $5,000. In the investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was assisted by Rutgers University’s police department, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office.
On April 22, 2024, Beacher was arrested. He was charged with intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and making false statements to federal authorities.
On October 9, 2024, Breacher pleaded guilty to damage to religious property, a federal hate crime. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Breacher will be sentenced in 2025. His case is being prosecuted by trial attorney Daniel Grunert of the U.S. Department of Justices’s Civil Rights Division and assistant U.S. attorneys Benjamin Levin and R. Joseph Gribko for the District of New Jersey.
CONAN Daily 