A Hoboken woman is facing hate crime charges for allegedly trying to pull a turban off a Sikh man's head Wednesday.
Police say Carrie Covello tried removing Hansdip Bindra's turban Wednesday morning at Madison's Bar and Grill. Covello was arrested and charged with bias intimidation and harassment.
"This is a hate crime that happened against me," says Bindra. "I was singled out."
Hoboken attorney Ravinder Bhalla, a friend of Bindra's, represents many local Sikhs. He hopes the confrontation is treated appropriately. "This is really a test case," says Bhalla. "There haven't been a lot of cases like this, and we have faith in the prosecutor's office this will be taken seriously."
Efforts by News 12 New Jersey to contact Covello were unsuccessful. The owner of the Madison Bar and Grill calls her behavior deplorable and says he will never serve her again.