Authorities have charged a Clifton man in connection with vandalism to a church sign near a rainbow flag display last month, though investigators determined the act did not constitute a bias incident against the LGBTQ+ community.
Klenti Allushi, 22, turned himself in Tuesday after he viewed surveillance photos released over the weekend by the Crimestoppers program, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday. The photos showed the defendant among several individuals walking east on South Street at 1:26 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. Police said some in the group damaged multiple signs as they traveled through town.
The images were taken hours before a member of the Church of the Redeemer discovered the congregation’s sign, featuring the message “All Are Welcome,” split in half prior to a memorial service. The previous night, the Rev. Cynthia Black, the church rector, had arranged rainbow flags commemorating Pride Month with her wife and two other congregation members near the sign.
Allushi was charged with criminal mischief, a third-degree crime, and released on summons. The other members of the group in the surveillance footage were not charged following an investigation, the Prosecutor’s Office said.
The sign’s proximity to the rainbow flags prompted the prosecutor to investigate the damage as a potential bias incident. But in a statement Thursday, the agency said, “It was determined the vandalism does not meet the criteria to be a bias-based or hate crime as the evidence established an intent only to damage property.”
Prosecutor Robert Carroll praised the collaborative effort by the Morristown Police Department, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Crimestoppers and the Redeemer church in assisting his office throughout the investigation.
“I hope Morris County law enforcement’s combined response and thoroughness can put the community at ease,” Carroll said.