Teen charged after coughing on woman at Wegmans

WEST WINDSOR » The coughlaws strike again.

A 16-year-old Trenton girl was hit with obstruction and harassment charges for coughing on a woman in the checkout line at Wegmans on Nassau Park Boulevard on Tuesday and claiming she had coronavirus when she was asked to socially distance, police said.

The teen was standing with her mother, an Instacart worker, in line and responded with “attitude” when the 52-yearold woman asked her to move back.

The girl removed her mask, walked toward the woman and coughed on her.

She’s not the first person in New Jersey to do such as thing, and Gov. Phil Murphy has taken to calling the coughlaws, and other violators, “knuckleheads.”

West Windsor Police Chief Robert Garofalo said in a statement the department “wanted to let our community know that we fully support New Jersey AG Grewal and Mercer County Prosecutor Onofri in having zero tolerance for acts such as this. The WWPD will continue to bring those to justice who choose to victimize others. Supermarkets such as Wegmans have been deemed essential by the State of New Jersey and the WWPD will use its full resources to protect their staff and the general public during this time of need.”

The girl’s mother told police they were working for the grocery delivery service Instacart when the 52-year-old swung her arm in their direction. The three got into an argument as they felt there was adequate distance between them and the woman.

The Instacart worker told police she didn’t like how the woman talked to her daughter.

An employee flagged down a West Windsor cop working a security detail at the store. The employee said the girl wasn’t far away from the woman.

The teenager was uncooperative. Her name wasn’t released due to her age. The case will be handled in family court.