Pastor Faked Own Assault, Blamed Muslims: Prosecutor | Basking Ridge, NJ Patch

Someone needs a better role model than Ashley Todd!!

The pastor of a Somerset County church tied himself up, wrote misspelled Muslim words on paper taped to his body, and lied about being assaulted inside his own church last week, Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano announced.

On Friday, Oct. 30 around 11:20 a.m., Somerville police responded to New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church at 147 East Main Street for a report of an alleged assault, Soriano said.

When police arrived they found a person inside the church with his hands loosely tied up with rope behind his back, legs tied, and a piece of cloth stuffed into his mouth, Soriano said. The person also had a plastic bag over his head and a piece of paper taped to his chest and back with a misspelled Islamic phrase, Soriano said.

Officers removed the bag and ropes and identified the man as Jairon Pena, 36, a pastor of the church.

Pastor Faked Own Assault, Blamed Muslims: Prosecutor | Basking Ridge, NJ Patch