Edison Mayor Candidate's Uncle Charged With Campaign Sign Theft

EDISON, NJ — An Edison Township man was charged in connection with the theft of an election campaign sign, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.

Rajendra Joshi, 71, was served with a complaint-summons and charged with one count of disorderly persons theft by unlawful taking, Ciccone said.

According to the County prosecutor, an investigation found that on October 21, Joshi removed a campaign sign from the lawn of a residence on Dolores Drive without receiving permission of the owner to do so. He is accused of removing a campaign sign of Republican candidate Keith Hahn. The investigation is closed.

Joshi is the uncle of Edison Council Vice President Sam Joshi, who is running for Mayor against Hahn.

In a statement released by Joshi’s campaign late Monday night, the candidate said the investigation determined he was not involved and that residents were misled by “misinformation.” He also called the incident a “minor misunderstanding.”

“It is so disheartening that with all the serious issues facing Edison Township, my opponent chose to make this minor misunderstanding involving my 71year-old uncle, a volunteer with my campaign, into a manufactured hysteria,” Joshi said in a statement.

“My opponent’s recklessness with Township resources in this one phantom incident, only demonstrates how he would undermine the best interests of our taxpayers.”

Meanwhile, Hahn has called for the “disqualification” of Joshi.

“This says more about the character and integrity, or lack of, on the part of Sam Joshi. His uncle was working under his direction,” Hahn said in a statement. “The people of Edison deserve a mature, responsible and ethical mayor. Sam’s involvement should be a disqualifier.”

The mayoral race in Edison is a hotly contested one, with Joshi, Hahn and independent candidate Christo Makropoulos going up against one another. Also on the ballot are three open council seats and nine candidates are vying for three open seats on the Edison Board of Education.

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