A video showing a plow truck spraying snow onto two men walking to religious services Saturday evening in Lakewood has sparked outrage and an investigation into a possible hate crime.  

Two men walking along County Line Road Saturday found themselves suddenly covered in snow. It came from a plow driven by Donny Klarmann.

In a since-deleted video uploaded to Klarmann’s personal Facebook page, he and a passenger can be heard laughing after dropping the plow and spraying two Orthodox Jewish men walking to services. The video was captioned, “This one’s for you JC.” 

The alleged intentional nature and target of the plow prompted statements from the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, writing, “We are absolutely disgusted by this video footage which appears to show a snowplow operator intentionally and callously targeting two Orthodox Jewish men. This conduct is as dangerous as it is disturbing, and we urge the victims to file a report with the Lakewood Police Department.”

Klarmann’s employer, Waste Management, says he was off duty at the time of the video. Waste Management announced his suspension, saying in part, “The hateful conduct depicted in this video is unacceptable and does not reflect the values and inclusion of diversity we hold as a company.”  

Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles tells News 12 the actions seen in the video and the caption leave little doubt in his mind that this was a hate crime. Coles says the two victims could have been seriously injured or worse by flying ice and rocks. They have been identified and will press charges.  

In the video, Klarmann is seen wearing a Larson Ford employee shirt. The dealership confirms with News 12 he has not been employed there in several months. Rob Larson also says the video left him disgusted and that he wants to see the driver fully prosecuted.