NJ Man Threatened Evergreen State, Said 'I’m On My Way... With a .44 Magnum': Prosecutors

OLYMPIA, WA - A man from Morris Plains, N.J., was allegedly behind the threats that caused the evacuation and closure of Evergreen State last month, according to prosecutors. Robert Kerekes Jr., 53, was arrested on Monday and is facing charges of making terroristic threats, criminal coercion, and causing false public alarm, according to New Jersey media outlets.

Kerekes allegedly called the Thurston County 911 center on June 1 and said:

“Yes, I’m on my way to Evergreen University now with a .44 Magnum. I’m gonna execute as many people on that campus as I can get a hold of. You have that? What’s going on there? You communist, scumbag town. I’m going to murder as many people on that campus as I can. Just keep your eyes open, you scumbag.”

Evergreen State has been the focus of conservative and leftist activists recently. Each year, the college hosts a "day of absence" for students and faculty of color; the day is meant to symbolize how important people of color are to the campus.

This year, campus activists instead asked white students and faculty to leave campus. In response, Bret Weinstein, a biology instructor, wrote an email calling the request "an act of oppression" against whites. Weinstein later appeared on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News to defend himself. Other conservative media outlets picked up the story as an example of on-campus censorship. Aside from the death threats, hate symbols like swastikas began appearing on campus, according to The Stranger.

Evergreen was closed for three days in June over the threats, and the college moved its commencement to Tacoma over safety concerns.

Kerekes is being held in jail, according to NJ.com.

Everegreen State, located in Olympia, is home to about 4,000 students.

Image via Creative Commons