The new year seems to have had a bad start, as hate crimes across the country continue to climb. Nationwide, states have reported surges in hate crimes targeting minorities. Even in the most diverse states, crimes targeting specific groups have increased.

In the latest antisemitic incident to make the news, an off-duty New Jersey snowplow driver was suspended after posting a video on social media in which he or a friend allegedly shoved snow toward Orthodox Jewish people last weekend, NJ.com reported.

The driver, identified as Donny Klarmann, who at the time was employed by Waste Management, is under investigation by Lakewood Police and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, officials confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday. Authorities noted that they are investigating whether to pursue hate crimes charges.

“I was appalled and shaken when I saw this video. Not only was it cruel but it was also incredibly stupid and dangerous. The plow could easily have thrown chunks of ice or rock and seriously injured or killed either of the victims. I am glad to know our police department is investigating all aspects of this incident,” Lakewood Mayor Raymond G. Coles said in a statement.

The incident occurred on Jan. 29 when most of the East Coast experienced a massive snowstorm. In the video taken in Lakewood, New Jersey, two Orthodox Jewish men are walking when Klarmann and his friend, Brandon Ebbes, deliberately throw snow and ice at them with their plow. Klarmann and Ebbes then both laugh as they pass the men. Since the attack was deliberate, the victims are pursuing charges.

As the plow passes them by, it dumps snow on them. Klarmann posted the video on his Facebook page with the words: “This one’s for you JC.”

According to NBC News, because the video was posted from a cellphone inside the truck, it is unclear if it was Klarmann or Ebbes who filmed the video. Either way, it doesn’t matter who filmed it, because both posted the video online and boasted about their horrible actions. “This one’s for you JC,” Klarmann captioned the video on Facebook. The video has since then been deleted by Klarmann and Ebbes both, but not before it made its rounds on social media.

Residents and views reacted with “disgust” after viewing the video.

“It is very disgusting that somebody would even take a risk of trying to plow snow, besides the fact that they were targeting Jews. They could have actually hurt somebody very badly or even, God forbid, kill them,” Lakewood resident Harvey Rosenthal told NBC New York.

The Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey also spoke out against the incident on Twitter.

“We are absolutely disgusted by this video footage which appears to show a snowplow operator intentionally and callously targeting two Orthodox Jewish men. This conduct is as dangerous as it is disturbing and we urge the victims to file a report with the Lakewood police.”

Within a day of the incident, Waste Management issued a statement on Twitter noting that the off-duty employee who posted the video had been suspended.

“The hateful conduct depicted in this video is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of inclusion and diversity we hold as a company,” the company said Sunday. “The employee is suspended while we investigate the incident, but we can confirm that this behavior will not be tolerated from any WM employee and we will not employ those who act in this way.”

By Tuesday, Klarmann was a former WM employee.

“While the incident did not involve a company vehicle or company equipment, the employee associated with this social media post is no longer employed with WM. The conduct of this former employee is unacceptable and not in accordance with WM’s code of conduct, commitments, and values,” the statement confirming the driver in question’s termination said.

The incident is the latest example of the tension between residents in Lakewood and Jackson Township, the Philly Voice reported. Jackson Township currently faces four discrimination lawsuits from the state and federal authorities filed in 2020 over allegations that the township’s planning board used zoning laws to target and exclude Orthodox Jews based on their religion. Lakewood has a large population of Orthodox Jews.

According to statistics compiled by the Anti-Defamation League, nearly 300 incidents of antisemitic violence occurred in New Jersey in 2020. Of those, more than 50 took place in Ocean County.