New Jersey Man Accused of Spraying Police with Chemical Irritant at U.S. Capitol Attack Makes Court Appearance

Accident – Death – Obituary News : New Jersey Man Accused of Spraying Chemical Irritant at Police Officers During Capitol Attack Makes Initial Court Appearance

A New Jersey man, Gregory Yetman, appeared in federal court on Monday, facing charges for allegedly spraying police officers with a chemical irritant during the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Yetman, 47, was ordered to be held without bail until his trial.

During the hearing at the U.S. District Court in Trenton, the FBI presented photos that purportedly showed Yetman spraying the liquid on officers during the January 6th riot. The agency stated that the liquid was a chemical irritant. Yetman, who was assigned a federal public defender, did not enter a plea during the hearing. His arraignment is expected to take place in Washington at a later date.

According to the FBI, Yetman faces several charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and committing an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

An affidavit from an FBI officer, whose identity was withheld, was unsealed during the hearing. The document contained photos from body-worn cameras worn by officers from Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department. The photos allegedly show Yetman spraying liquid towards a group of officers during the riot.

The affidavit also stated that on January 14th, 2021, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command received information that Yetman, a National Guard member, had admitted being present at the Capitol riot through a series of Facebook posts. In one of the posts submitted as evidence, Yetman wrote, “As someone who supports our President and loves this country but hates where it’s going thanks to corruption and fraud by a tyrannical governing class, I can’t sit by and do nothing.” He added that he positioned himself between rioters and those who were there “just to protest the sham of an election.”

Yetman further expressed remorse in his posts, saying, “To my brothers and sisters in blue, I’m sorry for what happened at the Capitol. We’re better than that.”

According to the affidavit, FBI agents interviewed Yetman on January 22nd, 2021. He allegedly admitted being at the Capitol on January 6th but claimed that he was trying to help people exposed to chemical irritants by pouring water into their eyes.

The court document, however, included photos showing a man, identified as Yetman by the FBI, spraying a stream of liquid at officers. The FBI special agent stated that Yetman had picked up a canister of MK-46H, a type of chemical irritant used by law enforcement, which another rioter had been using to spray police. Yetman allegedly sprayed the contents of the canister at officers for 12 to 14 seconds.

The federal public defender assigned to represent Yetman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and an attempt to contact Yetman at his home was unsuccessful.

Yetman had managed to elude authorities for two days when they initially arrived at his Helmetta, New Jersey home to arrest him. According to the town’s mayor, he ran into a wooded area but surrendered peacefully on Friday.

In the aftermath of the Capitol attack, approximately 1,200 individuals have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Out of them, over 800 have pleaded guilty or have been convicted by a jury or judge after a trial. More than 700 of the defendants have already been sentenced, with around two-thirds receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from three days to 22 years.

The case against Yetman is another example of the ongoing efforts to hold individuals accountable for their actions during the Capitol attack. As the investigation continues, authorities are committed to identifying and prosecuting those involved in the violence that shook the foundations of American democracy..