N.J. Man Charged With Terroristic Threat After Coughing on Wegmans Supermarket Worker Saying He Has Coronavirus
George Falcone (Office of The Attorney General New Jersey)
(IBEXNews) - Threatening to infect someone with the coronavirus amounts to a terroristic threat, say prosecutors in New Jersey.
George Falcone learned that first hand when he coughed on a worker at a Wegmans supermarket in Manalapan, laughed, and told her he had the potentially deadly virus, authorities said Tuesday.
Falcone, 50, who lives in neighboring Freehold, was standing too close to an open display of prepared foods Sunday evening when the Wegmans worker asked him to back off, said state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
Instead, Falcone moved closer, then coughed at her from less than three feet away, Grewal said.
Falcone told two more workers they were “lucky to have jobs,” the attorney general alleged.
A Manalapan Police Department detective working a security detail at the supermarket approached Falcone — who refused to give up his name or driver’s license for 40 minutes, Grewal said.
Finally, after he identified himself, the detective let him leave.
Authorities hit Falcone with three summonses on Tuesday — making terroristic threats, obstructing administration of law or other governmental function, and harassment. He’s required to appear in court at an unspecified date.
“These are extremely difficult times in which all of us are called upon to be considerate of each other — not to engage in intimidation and spread fear, as alleged in this case,” Grewal said, adding that he plans to crack down on similar behavior.
The top charge could land Falcone in prison for three to five years.
Grewal didn’t say whether Falcone actually has coronavirus, and Falcone did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday night.