Man Gets 15 Months for Threatening Violence Against White Community on Social Media

Joshua Cobb, 24, admitted to posting a racially charged online threat detailing plans for a mass shooting in New Jersey, prompting a federal investigation and subsequent prosecution.

A Mercer County resident has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for transmitting a racially motivated threat of violence through social media, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Joshua Cobb, 24, of Trenton, pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court. In addition to the prison term, Cobb was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

The case stems from a post Cobb made on December 17, 2022, through a social media platform in which he expressed intent to conduct a mass shooting targeting members of the white community. In the message, Cobb described his motivations and detailed planning, including firearms acquisition, potential attack locations, and a stated desire to align the act with a culturally significant date. He named specific sites in Robbinsville, New Jersey — including a gym and an Aldi grocery store — as possible targets and disclosed his familiarity with the locations.

On December 17, 2022, Cobb used a social media application to post a message, stating:

“I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can.

As of today I have officially began planning my attack. It is going to take place in 2023 in the state of New Jersey, I have not chosen a exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race. I have a location in mind already which I have frequented for the past year and I am certain nobody there is armed to be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground. I have already acquired 2 of the 4 firearms I plan to use for my attack, and I also know my entry and exit points already after the mayhem…

White people are going to feel my pain in 2023. I will be certain I send as many as I possible can to the deepest pits of hell. I am going to wipe those ugly smiles completely off their faces. I dream of a day of pure evil on them. I plan to allow every evil spirit to work entirely through me and kill as many as i can. Some will get extra rounds through their head.

And you guys can think I'm a troll all you want. Just pay close attention the news, you will see my aftermath. And I will be sure I kill myself after I finish my terrorism.

White men and women in New Jersey, get ready. You are going to feel my pain very fucking soon. I put that on my life. From here on out I don't want to talk, my rounds are going to, after they exit the back of all your heads. Get ready New Jersey. The devil is coming.”

Following the threatening post, Cobb joined the U.S. Marine Corps in June 2023 and began basic training in California. He remained stationed there until May 2024, when military authorities learned of the criminal case and discharged him from service. Cobb subsequently admitted to authoring the post and acknowledged its threatening nature.

Federal investigators credited with uncovering the threat included agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark, with assistance from the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, and multiple local law enforcement agencies, including the Hamilton and Robbinsville Police Departments and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit, with support from the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.

The case underscores continued federal efforts to monitor and respond to threats of domestic terrorism and hate-motivated violence, particularly when they involve detailed planning or credible intent to cause harm.