A New Jersey girl is facing charges for assaulting and yelling racial slurs at an Asian woman regarding the origin of the coronavirus outbreak. The incident took place at Edison, New Jersey, on April 4.

The unidentified girl was one among a group of people that surrounded and attacked a 55-year-old Asian woman in a hate crime over the origin and spread of COVID-19. According to a joint statement released by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and Edison Township Police, the girl had yelled at the victim and also punched her in the back of her head.

She was arrested on Tuesday and was charged with simple assault, harassment, bias intimidation, riot, and disorderly conduct. She was also charged with one count of violation of an emergency order for not following the state’s lockdown orders as she was outside her house when the incident occurred and was not considered an essential employee.

The identity and details of the juvenile were not revealed because of her age. Authorities mentioned that no charges were announced for anyone else involved in the attack as of yet. The case was still under investigation by police and the prosecutor’s office.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Edison Township Police Detective Jeffrey Tierny at 732-248-7400, or Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jason Mendelson at 732-745- 5948.

In a similar incident that took place last month, an Asian woman was harassed in Manhattan in hate crime related to the coronavirus pandemic. The 34-year-old victim was walking north on Madison Avenue near East 25th Street in Manhattan early morning when a 33-year old Bronx resident, identified as Lynn Ferguson, approached her and spat in her face after blaming her for the spread of the deadly virus. However, when the victim tried to walk away, Ferguson attacked her and yanked her hair hard enough to pull some of it out.

Following the incident, a traffic agent apprehended Ferguson and the Asian woman was treated and released at the scene. The accused was later arrested and charged with hate crime assault, aggravated assault as a hate crime, possession of a hypodermic instrument, and possession of marijuana.

As of Friday, the United States has reported 671,425 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases worldwide has reached 2,160,170 with a death toll of 145,593.

The coronavirus has turned cities into ghost towns, wreaking massive damage on the US economy
The coronavirus has turned cities into ghost towns, wreaking massive damage on the US economy AFP / VALERIE MACON
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