A Trenton man has admitted to posting an online threat, vowing to shoot and kill members of the white community, federal prosecutors announced.
The man detailed his plans to carry out a racially motivated attack in New Jersey in 2023, saying he would “wipe out” as many people as possible.
One of his planned locations was the Jersey Strong gym in Robbinsville and a nearby grocery store.
Joshua Cobb, 24, pleaded guilty to transmitting the violent threat through social media, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna. Cobb’s post included specific plans for an attack, including details about his access to firearms and target locations.
According to authorities Cobb described his intent in a December 2022 social media post:
“I want to cause mayhem on the white community,” he posted. “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.”
He said that he had started planning his attack, which would take place in 2023 in New Jersey, but hadn’t set a specific date yet. He said he intended for it to occur around an important holiday for their community.
Cobb said he had identified a location that he visited frequently over the past year, and I’m confident that no one there would be armed enough to stop me.
He also said that he had obtained two of the four firearms he planned to use, and was familiar with the entry and exit points I’ll use after the he would after the attack.
“White people are going to feel my pain in 2023,” he said. “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.”
Cobb also said that he planned to kill himself afterwards. “Get ready New Jersey. The devil is coming.”
Authorities initially arrested Cobb in May 2023 after an investigation involving federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Robbinsville Police Chief Michael Polaski confirmed that Cobb had mentioned the Jersey Strong Gym in Robbinsville and a nearby Aldi grocery store as potential sites for his planned attack. Authorities did not specify the location fo the Aldi.
“We are aware of the recent threat made against the Jersey Strong gym in Robbinsville,” Polaski said, adding that the police increased patrols in the area. He also urged residents to report suspicious activity. “See something, say something,” he added.
Cobb’s violent online rhetoric escalated in the months following his December post. In April and May 2023, Cobb made additional posts expressing fantasies of becoming a serial killer.
“Imagine the rush you’d feel while shooting some sh*t up,” he wrote, and later: “I want to continue training and buying more ammunition.”
Authorities said that Cobb, a former U.S. Marine, provided detailed information to law enforcement on the locations he considered for his attack. He idolized other mass shooters and expressed deep hatred for humanity in notes found on his phone.
Cobb had enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 2023 and was stationed in California until his discharge prior to his arrest. His phone also contained notes on how to bring guns into New Jersey and further elaborations on his plan to commit mass violence.
Transmitting a threat in interstate commerce carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Cobb’s sentencing is set for May 20.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Driscoll, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, the Robbinsville and Hamilton police departments, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the National Security Unit, with support from the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.
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