Detective Alexis Mirra charged Murad Qubbaj, 50 years of age from Mesa, Arizona, today with one count of cyber harassment (4th degree), one count of lewdness (4th degree), and one count of disrupting a public meeting (disorderly persons offense). Qubbaj was identified as the individual responsible for interfering with a public Hopewell Township Committee meeting on June 8, 2020 at approximately 4pm. by initiating a “Zoom Bomb,” which resulted in cancellation of the meeting. This case will be turned over to the Mercer County Prosecutors Office for disposition.
At the time, MercerMe reported:
An incident … occurred during the Hopewell Township Committee meeting Monday with which MercerMe reporter, Mary Galioto, had only a fleeting glimpse. As the regularly scheduled zoom meeting was beginning, it was invaded by the image of a naked man and simultaneous voices of profanity. As the disturbance became apparent, Mayor Kristin McLaughlin instructed the Township Clerk to shut down the zoom meeting.
In an email to MercerMe Monday evening, McLaughlin stated:
“Unfortunately tonight, an unknown individual or individuals interrupted the Hopewell Township Committee meeting and we were forced to end the meeting before we officially started it. We had been looking forward to supporting restaurants and other local businesses as New Jersey prepares to re-open, to support local non-profits, and to keep Hopewell Township going forward.
“We have rescheduled Monday’s meeting to this Thursday at 5pm and are working with our Clerk to upgrade our security procedures to ensure public meetings are safe and secure. The incident will be investigated. Moving forward, we will be requiring that meeting participants be validated via Zoom and display their full, legal name.“
The matter has been referred to the Hopewell Township Police Department for investigation, according to McLaughlin.
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