Essex County Politician Punches Blind Army Vet In Face: Report

One of Essex County’s leading politicians has been captured on a surveillance video apparently throwing punches at a 75-year-old, blind Army veteran.

The fight took place during East Orange’s township council primary on June 2.

Video footage shows LeRoy Jones, chairman of the Essex County Democratic Committee, approach a poll worker and punch him in the face.

Watch the video here.

The poll worker, Bill Graves, is legally blind in both eyes, reported ABC New York.

Graves told ABC that the incident started because he backed a political candidate that Jones didn’t support.

But according to CBS New York, Jones stated that Graves allegedly got “aggressive” with his wife while she was checking credentials at the polling site, and that Graves was the first one to throw a punch.

Jones faces charges of simple assault, CBS reported.

According to the Essex County Democratic Committee’s website, Jones has served four terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, including two years as deputy minority leader. As a two-term Essex County Freeholder, Jones served as chairman of the Budget Committee, on the Minority Affairs Committee and on the Essex County Planning Board. He also served as the City Administrator of East Orange for seven years.

Photo captions: Leroy Jones, wearing a red baseball cap, confronts Bill Graves during the East Orange primary on June 2.