New Jersey Paper Apologizes for Antisemitic, Misogynistic Slur in COVID19 Ad

Reporter Gustavo Martínez Contreras pictured responsible for the offensive caption.

Update March 24th: The reporter responsible for the offensive cation Gustavo Martínez Contreras has been fired; more here.

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The executive editor of the Asbury Park Press has apologized for a photo caption that included antisemitic and misogynistic slurs in a story about Covid vaccinations that was on their website for more than 14 hours this weekend.

The caption under a photo of a nurse at the Center for Health Education, Medicine and Dentistry in Lakewood said: “A fucking hot nurse, a total JAP, loads a syringe with a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.”

Paul D’Ambrosio said that the photo ran with an unapproved and offensive caption and that it was removed “as soon as it was brought to our attention.”

“As executive editor of the Asbury Park Press, I apologize deeply to women, the Lakewood Jewish community, the Asian American community and all our readers,” D’Ambrosio said.  “The words in the caption were totally unacceptable and in no way reflect the principles and practices of the staff of the Press and Gannett.”

It is not immediately clear why D’Ambrosio has apologized to the Asian American community.  The New Jersey Globe has confirmed that the nurse was an Orthodox Jewish woman.

D’Ambrosio said that the newspaper “took immediate and significant action once we became aware of the issue, and we changed our online procedures to ensure such an event never happens again.”

He did not immediately respond to an 11:26 AM email with questions about who was responsible for writing the caption, if any editors reviewed the story before it went live, and for details on the online procedural changes.

“(The Asbury Park Press and Gannett) photo caption was unacceptable, and taking it down without adequate explanation is not enough,” siad Alyana Alfaro Post, the press secretary to Gov. Phil Murphy.  “We need answers about how and why this happened, and why such crude, misogynistic, and antisemitic language was published.”

State Sen. Robert Singer (R-Lakewood) called the caption “horrific.”

“It denigrates a nurse working on the front lines based on her religion and gender,” Singer said.  “While I’m glad to see the APP’s apology, how did this happen and how will you stop it in the future,” Singer said.

Cal State Monterey Bay Student Arrested on Weapons Charge had Swastika, Hitler Picture at Home

Thomas Shefflette, 36 and a former California State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) student, was arrested on a felony weapons charge last month. CSUMB campus police released no details and no warning was sent out to students or staff, resulting in rumors flying and a March 5, 2021, town hall.

During the town hall, Campus Police Chief Earl Lawson detailed how the arrest came about and answered questions from the community. According to Lawson, campus police were assisting the Monterey County Sheriff's Office in serving the former student an eviction notice at East Campus Housing when they found illegal weapons in his moving truck.

After searching the home officers discovered a loaded 9mm handgun, AR-15 rifle parts and tools to assemble what's known as a ghost gun or a firearm built using individually sourced parts that can't be tracked.

During the town hall, Lawson detailed what else was found in the home and if the suspect had ties to extremist groups. "He did have a swastika and somewhere in the apartment and although I didn't see it, there was a photo of Adolph Hitler, officers conducted and continue to conduct a thorough investigation and we have not any evidence that the resident -- or former resident -- holds any affiliation with hate groups," said Lawson.

University president Eduardo Ochoa also took part in the virtual meeting and told students and faculty that no warning was sent out about the arrest because Shefflette was not deemed an immediate threat to those on campus.

"There was an assessment made at the time whether a clear and timely warning was called for and it was not because there was, in fact, no continuing threat," said Ochoa.

Ochoa said he was notified of the arrest as it was in progress and said the investigation followed protocol.

The former student and resident is now out on bail and as of March 5, 2021, meeting Campus Police were working to secure a stay-away order to keep Shefflette off-campus. However, Lawson said the man was not planning a campus attack of any sort.

"No evidence found of any intention to do harm to any community members, the motivation for possession of the weapons and the ghost gun parts appears to be for financial gain," said Lawson.

At the time of the arrest, the sheriff's office called out its bomb squad when chemicals and wires were found at the home but after investigating determined no bomb or bomb-making materials were onsite.