Irvine Man Charged With Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes After Being Turned In By Family Member
IRVINE (CBSLA) -- An Irvine man is charged with hate crimes for threatening to kill Jewish people and possessing anti-Semitic literature and ammunition.
Nicholas Rose, 26, was charged in court Thursday with attempted criminal threats, violation of civil rights and the sentencing enhancement of a hate crime, which carries a 6-year, 6-month sentence.
Officials say a Rose family member tipped them off to his potential violence.
Officials said on or about April 16, 2018 Rose told a family member that he wanted to kill people while making threats against Jewish people.
The family member contacted the Orange Police Department.
The police investigated. They went to the Irvine home where Rose -- an ESL teacher -- rents a room. They accuse Rose of being in possession of .22 ammunition, anti-Semitic literature, "kill lists" of prominent Jews in the community and entertainment industry, a list of steps he allegedly called "Killing My First Jew."
Officials said Rose also possessed papers referencing at least one church and one synagogue in Lake Forest, less than five miles from where he was living.
CBS2's Stacey Butler reports Rose was also targeting a Russian Orthodox church as well as a Greek Orthodox church believing they "were sympathetic to the Jewish cause."
He was arrested at the scene.
Investigators are checking Rose's computer to see if he is a member of a hate group.
A neighbor told Butler she was shocked that such hate could be near her doorstep.
"[I have] so many friends," said Laura Wichems, "who are Jewish and who go to synagogues in Orange County. Huntington Beach. It's really scary to think that there's someone with that kind of hate in their heart -- planning stuff against Jewish people."
Rose is being held on $500,000 bail.