Multiple people were injured Saturday afternoon when a driver plowed into a group of anti-ICE demonstrators during an immigration rally at the busy intersection of Fairview and Anderson Avenues.
Fairview Police say Linda Roglen, 62, of North Bergen, is facing several charges, including assault by auto resulting in injury and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury.
Witnesses say the incident began with a verbal altercation between Roglen and a protester. Surveillance video captured by a nearby pizza shop shows the moment tensions escalated.
“I don’t know what they said, but they yelled something, and then he spat in her face,” said Gabriel Mayen, an employee at the shop who started filming the protest from the storefront window. What happened next stunned everyone.
“The driver hit him… and then sped up and hit more people. I was scared, honestly. Something like that could kill someone,” Mayen recalled.
One of the protest organizers, Julio Torres, who was also injured in the incident, said he had tried to de-escalate the situation after overhearing Roglen allegedly shout, “I love ICE.” He said he warned the protester to walk away.
Torres acknowledged that the man’s actions — particularly the spitting — were inappropriate. “That’s not okay either,” he said, urging fellow protesters to avoid behavior that could inflame tense situations, especially given the vulnerability of many immigrants.
“But if someone spits at you, you call the cops — you don’t run people over,” Torres added.
Police confirmed that several individuals were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not said whether the protester involved in the altercation may also face charges.
Roglen is currently in custody as authorities review video evidence and witness statements.
The incident has reignited debate over both public protest safety and rising tensions surrounding immigration enforcement actions, especially in communities with large immigrant populations.
