Tom GantertFranklin Township, NJ – An elderly man was attacked by a teenager in a grocery store parking on Monday because he was wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat.
The 81-year-old man was leaving the ShopRite on Elizabeth Avenue in Franklin Township at about 3:25 p.m. on Feb. 25 when he was approached by 19-year-old Ryan M. Salvagno, New Jersey Advance Media reported.
Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson said the two exchanged words, and then Salvagno grabbed the man’s hat.
“As the victim turned to walk away, defendant Salvagno was able to grab the victim’s hat and the two struggled for sole possession of the hat,” Robertson said in a statement, according to New Jersey Advance Media.
“Salvagno then took the victim by the arm and threw him to the ground, tipping over the victim’s cart of groceries and ultimately throwing the hat to the side,” the prosecutor said.
Robertson said the octogenarian had minor injuries but refused medical treatment at the scene, The Washington Times reported.
Police investigated and later arrested Salvagno in connection with the attack, according to New Jersey Advance Media.
Authorities have not revealed any details about how they identified and located the suspect.
Salvagno has been charged with disorderly persons offenses of assault and harassment, according to New Jersey Advance Media.
The MAGA hat has become a symbol of everything Democrats hate about President Donald Trump.
“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was recently charged with felony disorderly conduct after he made up a fake story about being attacked by two white men wearing MAGA hats.
It turned out it was all a hoax and Smollett was assisted by two black men to whom he paid $3,500 to stage the attack, according to Chicago police.
There has recently been a string of assaults on people wearing MAGA hats.
An Oklahoma high school student is facing potential charges after he slapped a MAGA hat off a younger student and tore off the Trump 2020 flag the boy was wearing.
Kenneth Jones, 18, may face assault charges in the premeditated attack.
A witness told police that Jones asked her to film the altercation he was about to initiate on her cell phone.
The entire assault was also captured on the school’s security cameras.
On Feb. 15, an illegal immigrant attacked a customer wearing a MAGA hat in a bar at a Massachusetts Mexican restaurant.
Rosiane Santos knocked Bryton Turner’s baseball cap off his head several times, and also pulled the hat down over his face.
Eventually, the bartender called the police and Santos was arrested.
As officers were leading her out of the bar, Santos lunged at Turner and hit him, earning herself an assault charge.
She later argued with the officers at the station, and refused to get out of the patrol car, police said.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” she retorted, according to the arrest report.
After her arrest, Santos tried to claim she was the victim because of years of discrimination.
Santos, a citizen of Brazil, was arrested again on Monday – this time by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“[Rosiane] Santos is currently facing local charges for assault and other offenses,” ICE spokesperson John Mohan told the Boston Herald. “She is presently in ICE custody and has been entered into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts.”
But Santos’ jail stay was short-lived, and she’s already back on the street.
“She has since been released from ICE custody after being entered into removal proceedings in federal immigration court and provided a Notice to Appear at a future date before an immigration court,” an ICE spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.