As the investigation into an Islamophobic incident in Middlesex County continues, many are asking how it even happened in the first place.
News 12 New Jersey has previously reported about a truck with anti-Muslim images circling the parking lots of at least two Islamic centers in the county this past weekend. The truck had a digital billboard that depicted images from the 2008 attack in Mumbai, India. Saturday was the 14th anniversary of that attack.
But many feel that this was a lot of effort to make a hateful statement and wonder how it happened. News 12 spoke with the owner of a New Jersey company that also uses mobile billboard trucks for his reaction to the incidents.
“I cringed when I saw it,” says Darrell Leger.
Leger says the display would never have made it onto the trucks of his family-owned business – Jersey Peak Media. He says his company advertises for local businesses. They also work with community organizations, police departments and events like parties and parades.
“Do your due diligence and figure out what the ad is. There is no room for hate,” Leger says.
The truck that circled the mosques appeared to be owned by Pennsylvania-based The TV Truck. It was spotted outside Islamic centers in North Brunswick and Piscataway. News 12 has reached out to that company multiple times to get answers as to who hired them and who approved the images. No one has returned those messages.
Leger says that all content for his signs goes through him and his wife.
“Maybe they didn’t know what it meant. I don’t know that. There are circumstances - we got some ads and double-checked because it was in a different language,” Leger says.
He says there have been times that they've refused a job because of the message. Leger also addressed the question of why the driver in the mosque incident was seen getting out of the truck to take pictures.
“Every day we go out for a client, they get a GPS report, and they get pictures. And the pictures show that we did the job,” Leger says.
Leger says he and other family members drive their truck. But as with most companies, the driver basically flips a switch to turn the screen on and off. The video comes via Wi-Fi from a home office.
“The truck driver, he just got paid. He got a route, and he just did his job,” Leger says.
The Piscataway and North Brunswick police departments and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office are all investigating to find out who is responsible and what their intention was.