Brendan Tevlin's murder evidence that 'domestic terrorism is already here,' says radio host (AUDIO)
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on September 10, 2014 at 2:18 PM, updated September 10, 2014 at 8:17 PM
NEW YORK CITY — A New York radio personality is calling for increased attention to the June murder of a 19-year-old Livingston man, calling it evidence that “domestic terrorism is already here.”
Todd Pettengill, host of WPLJ’s “The Todd Show”, discussed the death of Brendan Tevlin for more than eight minutes this morning, asking why the case has not received more attention despite the alleged murderer’sadmissions that he killed Tevlin as an act of vengeance for U.S. military actions in the Middle East.
“It was in fact an act of jihad, perpetrated by a fellow American who sympathized more with those who want to annihilate us than with his own country and its people,” he said.
Essex County authorities have charged 29-year-old Ali Muhammad Brown with killing Tevlin in a West Orange intersection on June 25. Since being taken into custody on July 18, he has confessed to the murder, along with three others in Washington state, saying they were carried out as retribution for innocent lives lost in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Islamic world.
Pettengil criticized President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for not referencing the case in recent addresses and downplaying the level of threat radical Islamists currently living in America could pose.
He also chided the media for not bringing the story to the national stage, and focusing instead on other protests such as those in Ferguson, Mo., where an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot to death by a police officer last month.
“If there was ever a reason to riot in the streets in the name of humanity it would for this case. But has that happened? No. And I’m not suggesting that it should,” he said.
Brendan Tevlin, 19
“What I’m suggesting should happen is that this should be talked about and written about, and the American people should know.”
Pettengil also echoed the frustrations of Tevlin’s parentsover the initial characterization by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office that the teenager was “targeted” before being gunned down in a West Orange intersection on June 25.
Authorities later walked back the description, saying accused murderer Ali Muhammad Brown and two other men, Jeremy Villagran and Eric Williams, had randomly targeted Tevlin for a robbery before Brown shot him eight times.
A fourth man may have also fled the scene of the murder, according to prosecutors, but he has not been identified or named as a suspect.
Pettengill closed his statement by reminding listeners that they should acknowledge the threats the country faces from terrorists both overseas and at home.
“The bottom line is this, domestic terrorism is already here, and we need to talk about it,” he said.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Todd Pettengill, host of WPLJ’s “The Todd Show”, discussed the death of Brendan Tevlin for more than eight minutes this morning, asking why the case has not received more attention despite the alleged murderer’sadmissions that he killed Tevlin as an act of vengeance for U.S. military actions in the Middle East.
“It was in fact an act of jihad, perpetrated by a fellow American who sympathized more with those who want to annihilate us than with his own country and its people,” he said.
Essex County authorities have charged 29-year-old Ali Muhammad Brown with killing Tevlin in a West Orange intersection on June 25. Since being taken into custody on July 18, he has confessed to the murder, along with three others in Washington state, saying they were carried out as retribution for innocent lives lost in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Islamic world.
Pettengil criticized President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for not referencing the case in recent addresses and downplaying the level of threat radical Islamists currently living in America could pose.
He also chided the media for not bringing the story to the national stage, and focusing instead on other protests such as those in Ferguson, Mo., where an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot to death by a police officer last month.
“If there was ever a reason to riot in the streets in the name of humanity it would for this case. But has that happened? No. And I’m not suggesting that it should,” he said.
Brendan Tevlin, 19Pettengil also echoed the frustrations of Tevlin’s parentsover the initial characterization by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office that the teenager was “targeted” before being gunned down in a West Orange intersection on June 25.
Authorities later walked back the description, saying accused murderer Ali Muhammad Brown and two other men, Jeremy Villagran and Eric Williams, had randomly targeted Tevlin for a robbery before Brown shot him eight times.
A fourth man may have also fled the scene of the murder, according to prosecutors, but he has not been identified or named as a suspect.
Pettengill closed his statement by reminding listeners that they should acknowledge the threats the country faces from terrorists both overseas and at home.
“The bottom line is this, domestic terrorism is already here, and we need to talk about it,” he said.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.