MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Ewing Township agreed in August 2025 to pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former health department employee who said a co-worker harassed him over his Muslim faith for months before threatening him with a multi-tool at the municipal building, according to court records.
Taher Mohamed Ali filed the lawsuit against Ewing Township on May 17, 2024, in Mercer County Superior Court, according to Transparency NJ who first reported the story.
He worked for the township as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist from May 3, 2022, until his resignation on April 10, 2024.
The lawsuit alleged a co-worker, Roy Williams, began targeting Mohamed Ali in June 2023, pointing out "terrorism" references on the township's bioterrorism posters, mimicking the planes used in the 9/11 attacks, and sprinkling bacon bits on his workstation on two occasions, aware that he does not eat pork as a Muslim.
Mohamed Ali also alleged Williams sexually harassed him, kicked him in the groin, and took his car without permission. He claimed he repeatedly reported the conduct to management, including Health Officer Sharon McNellis-Kissel and Health Director Stephanie Mendelsohn, but the township failed to stop it.
Williams worked as a practical nurse for the township. Personnel records show he was hired on March 13, 2023, and resigned on October 8, 2023, with an annual salary of $80,400.
According to an Ewing Police Department investigation report, Williams and Mohamed Ali engaged in a verbal dispute at about 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2023, in the health department office. The report said Williams shoulder-checked Mohamed Ali, then pulled out a multi-tool and said, "I'm going to send you to urgent care," and "you're not going to see your kids," while holding it.
An animal control officer stepped between the two and separated them, the report said. Business Administrator Jim McManimon told police that Williams appeared shaken afterward and said "he was going to hurt somebody."
According to the lawsuit, a detective later told Mohamed Ali that his supervisors' negligence had likely caused the incident. He said the harassment made it impossible to continue working, and he resigned four months later. A supplementary bias incident report filed by police marked the alleged bias motivation as anti-Islamic/Muslim.
Williams was charged with bias intimidation, harassment, terroristic threats and unlawful possession of a weapon, and a Mercer County grand jury indicted him on five related counts on Sept. 9, 2025, according to documents. Williams applied for the county's Pretrial Intervention program in October 2025; that application was denied in April 2026, and the current status of his case is unclear from available records.
Under the settlement, Ewing's $100,000 payment included $40,350 for attorney's fees, $1,276.80 in wages, and $58,373.20 for personal injury and emotional distress claims. The agreement stated it was not an admission of wrongdoing, and the township denied any violations.
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