Warning: Graphic language
A Hudson Valley man has been accused of a hate crime after going on a racist tirade during an apparent road rage incident that was caught on tape.
William Ryan, of Newburgh, NY, also falsely claimed he was an off-duty trooper as he maligned Robert Mclymore and his son, who are black, and gave them the middle finger, footage shows.
“I’m a cop you ass—, I’m an off-duty trooper you fu–ing stumpy n—–,” Ryan shouted at the Mclymore, who is a police lieutenant and pastor in nearby Wallkill. “You’re always a n—–, you’ll never be white, you’ll never be white.
“F— you!” he shouted as he stuck his middle finger up.
Mclymore recorded the unhinged 60-year-old on video and posted it on Instagram.
“Nobody would believe me that this happened to me. Nobody. I didn’t believe it myself,” Mclymore told CBS New York.
Ryan was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree menacing as a hate crime, which is a felony, Newburgh police said. He’s also accused of menacing the victim with a knife, police said.
William Ryan allegedly launched slurs at the victim and falsely claimed he was an off-duty trooper.
New York State police said Ryan was not a trooper with them or connected to any police agency, according to CBS New York.
“There is no place for hate in our community,” Newburgh police chief Anthony Geraci said in a statement. “Mr. Ryan will be held accountable for his criminal actions and deplorable speech. His racist threats were not only harmful to the victim in this case, but echoes deep within our City.”
Another video, obtained by News 12 Hudson Valley, shows Ryan flashing a knife at the window of Mclymore‘s car as he continued cursing at him.
Robert Mclymore was on his way to church with his son when Ryan reportedly launched his racist tirade. @rdmclymoreMclymore told News 12 he was driving to church on Saturday when he let an oncoming car make a left-hand turn, which sparked Ryan’s ire.
“This is personal. What hurt me is that it could have been my life and my son’s life,” said Mclymore, according to the local television station.
“The footage is disturbing, as are reports that the man who harassed Pastor Mclymore has repeatedly targeted other people of color in the area,” said Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey and Mid-Hudson Westchester NAACP Regional Director Wilbur Aldridge in a joint statement, prior to the arrest.
