Man charged with hate crime accused of yelling racial slur at 9-year-old

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Gray News) - An Illinois man was arrested after allegedly yelling a slur at a child, pushing him and throwing his bike.

Jeffrey Feigenbaum, 29, was charged on June 13.

According to Naperville police, the situation started when the child, a 9-year-old Black male, and his friends were building a fort. Feigenbaum’s girlfriend’s daughter allegedly damaged the fort.

When the girl went to her home and knocked on the door, Feigenbaum allegedly went outside, yelled a slur at the boy, pushed him and threw his bike when he ran away.

“The allegations against Mr. Feigenbaum are very disturbing,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a press release. “Hate crimes have no place in a civilized society.”

He was charged with two counts of hate crime (a class 4 felony), one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of disorderly conduct. He was required to wear a GPS monitoring device and stay at least 5,000 feet away from the child, his home and his school.

Feigenbaum was also required to surrender all firearms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons.

His next court appearance was scheduled for July 13.