A Plainfield man was released with a GPS monitor after being charged with a hate crime for allegedly yelling a racial slur at a 9-year-old boy, pushing him and throwing his bike in Naperville over the weekend.
Jeffrey Feigenbaum, 29, of the 15800 block of Cove Circle, appeared in court Sunday, charged with with two counts of hate crime and one count each of misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
Naperville officers responded Saturday in the 1400 block of West Jefferson Avenue for a report of a white adult male pushing a Black child and using the a racial slur, authorities said.
Prosecutors said the boy and some friends had been building a fort down the street when a girl, later identified as Feigenbaum’s girlfriend’s daughter, allegedly damaged the fort.
When the boy went to the girl’s home on West Jefferson Avenue and knocked on the door, Feigenbaum allegedly left the home, yelled a racial slur at the boy, pushed him and threw his bike as he ran away, prosecutors said.
The court denied the state’s motion to detain Feigenbaum during his Sunday hearing, and he was released with conditions, including that he be fitted with a GPS monitor, stay at least 5,000 feet away from the boy, his home and his school, and surrender all firearms and other weapons to Naperville police.
“The allegations against Mr. Feigenbaum are very disturbing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. “Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society. DuPage County is comprised of dozens of extremely welcoming and diverse communities, and the type of behavior alleged in this case will not be tolerated.”
A statement released from Naperville police also condemned the suspect’s alleged actions.
“Every person in our community has the right to live free from intimidation, violence, and hate,” Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres said in a statement. “Conduct involving threats, physical aggression and racial slurs directed at a child is completely unacceptable and stands in direct opposition to the values we expect and uphold in Naperville.”
Feigenbaum is due back in court July 13.
