A 61-year-old Point Pleasant man already facing ethnic intimidation charges and related offenses is now under investigation after allegedly directing his intolerance by firing off anti-Semitic texts and threats to a New Hope business owner.
Robert Maschock Jr. was arrested on Sept. 18 and spent nearly two weeks in jail after allegedly sending racist, threatening texts to a Plumstead Township church deacon and a congregant. He was recently released after a Bucks County judge reduced his bail to unsecured.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan announced a “Safe from Hate” series subsequent to Maschock’s arrest and days before anti-Jewish hate symbols and racial slurs were intentionally carved into a Yardley Golf Course.
Maschock’s arrest and its media coverage led a New Hope Jewish business owner to reach out to Lower Bucks Source, alleging he became the target of the Point Pleasant man’s hate after firing Maschock from his art gallery in August.
The Eyeris Art Gallery manager told Lower Bucks Source Maschock is a former employee.
“He worked for me for only two weeks. I fired him after he sent inappropriate messages to staff, and he then sent me more than 3,000 messages.”
A series of messages allegedly sent by Maschock includes direct threats and anti-Semitic language. The gallery owner filed a police report on Aug. 11—weeks before Maschock’s Plumstead arrest—a copy of which was obtained by Lower Bucks Source.
Before the September incident, he threatened me and targeted me for being Jewish. On August 11, I emailed New Hope Police screenshots, including a message threatening to rip my head off my shoulders and calling me a “Jewish piece of s**t.”
What is more surprising, according to the gallery owner, is when he filed a complaint with New Hope Police, nothing was done—and it was recommended he file a report with police in his New Jersey hometown.
I filed a police report and contacted police multiple times. An officer requested additional evidence, but during my conversations with police, I was essentially told to “just ignore” him, the gallery owner said.
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New Hope police officers took the owner’s report and facilitated the transfer of items Maschock left at his former employer’s place of business.
In text messages Maschock allegedly sent, he threatens the owner based on the belief he is owed $100 for work he performed while still employed at the Main Street gallery. However, in his communications with police, he makes no mention of the funds owed—just personal items like cologne and a toothbrush.
Police informed Maschock he has been trespassed from the business and then marked the case “closed” as of August 13, according to a copy of a report provided to Lower Bucks Source.
“I am deeply upset by how my reports were handled. I felt so unsafe that I stayed away from the New Hope area for over a month, and this directly affected my work.”
New Hope Police Chief Ken Edwards and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office confirmed there is currently an open investigation, but would not comment on any specific aspects of the probe, they said.
“I felt that the threats against me were not taken seriously,” the gallery owner said.
Attempts to reach Maschock for comment about the allegations have been unsuccessful as of Thursday.
No charges have been filed against Maschock as of publication time, Friday.
Credit: Submitted
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