There is a truly disgraceful story out of Lakewood, New Jersey where homeless man Ronald Leggatt, 65, was offered $5 by a stranger to pour a hot cup of coffee over his own head — twice. Carlos Mejia, 22, of Jackson, posted a video of Leggatt discussing the demeaning act. Mejia witnessed the scene and at first thought the man was going to help Leggatt and was horrified as Leggatt poured the coffee over his own head. The coffee reportedly left burn marks on Leggatt’s face. Mejia confronted the man who paid for the act. Mejia said that the culprit was an Orthodox Jew, who allegedly told Mejia that nothing would happen to him because “we run the town.” (Lakewood has a large Orthodox population). The police located the sadist but decided that there was no crime to charge because the act by Leggatt was voluntary. Others in the Orthodox Jewish community were ashamed by the conduct of the culprit and came forward to help Leggatt.
Leggett lives in a cinder block dugout at at local ball field and told a reporter “Never thought I’d be in this position at 65.”
Members of the Orthodox community located the culprit and brought him to Leggett. The resulting videotape only showed the young man from behind. The young man gave him $20. That seems rather low for such an outrageous, disgusting act. Other members of the community responded with kindness, took Leggatt out for food, bought him clothes, gave him a haircut and put him up in a motel for a couple days.
I agree with the police that a voluntary act cannot be charged as a crime. It is not crime even to pay for people to hurt themselves. Presumably, a crime could be brought if this sadistic display was used to make money commercially. Thus, it has long been a crime to arrange prize fights on wharfs and in alleys. In this case, it is a dare between two individuals.
Of course, none of this alters the culpability of the stranger. The culprit is obviously someone without an ounce of humanity or morality despite his association with a religious community. He is dangerous preciously because he enjoys seeing people demeaned and subjugated.
Except, po, your holy book advises killing the non-believers.
Never underestimate the power of human nature. Constitutions, Holy books or even guns are inanimate objects that are given life by our human nature. Where we fail as a society is we blame the object and not the people. This is pure ignorance disguised as “progress” that has us hurtling towards our next revolution.
The teen later half apologized, saying he was sorry the incident had happened (versus he was sorry he had done it or that he had hurt the homeless man).
Hopefully his synagogue and his family will get him to give of his time to the homeless or to a food pantry.
Hillel said, “That which is hateful to you do not do to others. This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary.”
I live not far from Lakewood and occasionally drive thru it. I would agree its made up by more Orthodox Jews but for the most part they stay within the community and you rarely hear of anything like this.
Libertarians have the most difficult time explaining their beliefs when cases like this come up.
Not a crime? Had this individual offered a sandwich to a starving person for the same thing, would THAT be considered a crime? How about a lender offering a neg am loan to people that knowingly couldn’t afford the loan when it recasts, isn’t that a crime? Why is preying on the most desperate acceptable if the harm is limited to just one person?
Unfortunately, a story about animal abuse will garner more sympathy than this. Homeless people have a special place in my heart. There are some really bad homeless people, but the vast majority are victims, like this poor man.
I had to read the first paragraph twice, but Leggett (the poor person) was paid $5 to pour hot coffee on his own head, which he did.
This guy is a sick individual. It doesn’t matter what his faith is.
The science geek
http://www.thesciencegeek.org
Legally, nothing can be done. Unfortunately this sort of behavior lies just inside the line. However, what about leaking the man’s name, address, particulars and shaming the sh*t out of him. But then if he flipped out….? Sometimes you just have to live with the crazies, the crazies that have nothing to do with anything else but crazy.
There is a book out on Amazon now called Three Spots On The Wall by Who Flung Fu.
Who flung fu on who? I cannot discern the sentences.
Sorry, didn´t mean to insult your children.
I think the act makes him a Heterodox Jew.
I´m sorry, but I´ve read the first paragraph 3 times and I´m still not sure whose head had coffee poured over it and who the pourer was.
How about writing “Majia HAD witnessed the scene”…. and ” WHO CLAIMED TO BE an Orthodox Jew” and…
Good grief, I give up. Did one of your kids write this?
“Now, boys and girls, let’s make this any, ANY, other country in the Middle East”
Well, if he were gay, they would throw him off the top of a building to his death, if he were a woman raped by strangers, they would stone her or whip her, and if it was a kafir (infidel), they’d shoot him defenseless at his work or at a club.
“enjoys seeing people demeaned and subjugated.”
Did he just come out of military training?
Bad piece of reporting JT. You mention that the “Orthodox Jew,” said we run this town so nothing will be done to me, which implies some community wide Mafiosa like environment but fail to mention the go fund me campaign and the other orthodox jew who got him a hotel room, clothes and a haircut. There are outliers in every group and this man is not a representation of a township.
this is a hate crime
“Mejia confronted the man who paid for the act and said that he was an Orthodox Jew, who told him that nothing would happen to him since “we run the town.”
Now, boys and girls, let’s make this any, ANY, other country in the Middle East, where individuals want to burn homeless people. The results would be vastly different. Because those societies are so lacking in the most basic of freedoms that individuals within those communities wouldn’t dare to attempt such a stunt. Not unless, of course, they had a death wish of some sort, where they enjoyed being summarily rounded up, tortured, maimed and imprisoned. That’s missing from this story. Often what you DON’T say, JT, is far, far more important than what you do say.
There is no opportunity to compare and contrast this story with that which occurs in the multitude of Muslim neighborhoods throughout the Muslim world, where students sit for hours and hours doing nothing more than memorizing and reading aloud how to burn homeless people. They are not given any basic education, whatsoever, and plenty of US funding goes to support those various governments as well, JT. What? Because you don’t read about any homeless being burned in those hellholes is now an accurate indication that no problem exists in the level of homeless abuses in those countriess? Right. Choking on my eggnog over that one.
Anywhere in the ME, this homeless man would be beheaded, that’s all am saying. Then crucified! Then beheaded again…then ISIS will throw him off a building.
Those damned Muslims.