Hunt For Source Of Hoboken ‘Terrorist’ Election Flyers Continues

HOBOKEN, NJ — A police investigation into the smear campaign carried out against Hoboken Mayor-Elect Ravi Bhalla during the 2017 election continues without a clear culprit. And as of Tuesday, none of the people involved in the bigoted election stunt have been identified, authorities say.

Despite a last-minute, high-visibility "hate flyer" smear campaign that depicted him as a "terrorist," Bhalla emerged victorious in the race for the city's coveted mayoral position last week.

• See related article: Hoboken Elects 1st Sikh Mayor; Hate Flyers Don't Stop Bhalla

According to a Hoboken Police Department statement, its Investigative Bureau has continued to investigate the flyer distribution by “following new leads and speaking to possible witnesses about the identities of the individuals.”

• See related article: Bhalla Flyer Was Doctored, Persons Of Interest Sought (PHOTOS)

“Our detectives have been investigating this matter around the clock since November 3,” Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante said. “I’m proud of the work they have done and how much evidence they have recovered.”

Police originally provided the following statement about the flyers:

“Around 8:40 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, Hoboken Mayoral Candidate Michael DeFusco contacted police about an alarming incident. Members of his campaign observed an unknown individual disseminating altered DeFusco campaign literature. The campaign literature now had an added portion that read "Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town" over a picture of Ravi Bhalla, another Hoboken mayoral candidate. When DeFusco campaign members realized the alarming and inappropriate change to their official campaign literature they immediately called police and began to gather up the fliers from the vehicles they were placed on. Hoboken police checked the area for the individuals in question but were met with negative results."

A photo of the doctored flyer is included below (story continues below image).

WHO DID IT?

Have Hoboken police investigated the possibility that one of the Bhalla’s five mayoral opponents was involved in the distribution of the "terrorist" flyers?

When asked this question on Tuesday, Det. Edgardo Cruz told Patch that “the Hoboken Police Department is currently investigating all possibilities into the distribution of the flyers.”

Cruz didn’t elaborate about the results of any police investigations into the candidates’ potential involvement with the flyers. But he said that anyone found to be involved can be charged with bias harassment.

According to Hoboken Councilman Mike DeFusco – who finished second to Bhalla in the final vote tally - the flyers are "racist and disgusting” and ultimately amounted to an attack on his own campaign as well. The doctored flyers state that they were "paid for by Team DeFusco For Hoboken,” which DeFusco has vehemently denied.

• See related article: Hoboken Mayor Candidate Blasts 'Fake News,' Smear Campaign

In the wake of the flyer fiasco, DeFusco’s sister, Nicole DeFusco, launched a GoFundMe campaign called “Justice for Election Tampering” that seeks to raise money to “help clear Michael's name and bring the criminals responsible to justice" by offering a reward for their capture. So far, the campaign has raised more than $8,500. (See the online campaign here)

According to Nicole DeFusco:

“We are offering a reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons behind this attack on both Michael and Ravi’s good names. We all deserve to know the truth about who was behind the fliers – our democracy depends on it.”

• See related article: Hoboken Community: Let's Rise Above 'Hateful' Election Flyers

DO YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE?

Hoboken police have released several surveillance images and videos of people who allegedly passed out the smear flyers before the election. However, as of Tuesday, police haven’t been able to identify any of the “persons of interest,” authorities said.

Hoboken Police Captain Charles Campbell urged anyone with information regarding the flyer distribution to contact him at 201-420-5103, or campbellc@hobokenpd.org.

“If you recognize the individuals posting the flyers or, in fact are involved in this but were unaware of the severity, it would be beneficial to speak with us to provide information as to the origins of the flyer itself,” Campbell stated.

Anyone with information about the identities of the people in the surveillance images can also call the Hoboken Police Department at 201-420-2131, or contact Det. Robert Roman at romanr@hobokenpd.org.

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Photos/Images: Hoboken Police Department

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