NJ Pastor Charged With Staging, Reporting Fake Assault

SOMERVILLE, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey pastor was charged with faking an assult inside his church.

Jairon Pena told police that two men and a woman had attacked him late Friday morning at the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church in Somerville.

Pena said the three removed bibles from the pews and scattered them throughout the church while making negative comments about his religious beliefs.

When police arrived, they found Pena with his hands loosely tied with a rope behind his back. His legs legs tied were tied and he had a piece of cloth stuffed into his mouth, porsecutors said.

Pena also had a plastic bag over his head, along with a piece of paper taped to his chest and back with a misspelled Islamic phrase, according to authoities.

Pena said the three tied him up before leaving. But investigators noted that the 36-year-old Somerville resident didn't have any visible injuries.

Prosecutors said Pena's story also had inconsistencies when he later talked to investigators, and that he fabricated the story due to some undisclosed "personal events.''

Pena was arrested and charged with third-degree false public alarm,  fourth-degree false swearing and fictitious report to law enforcement, a disorderly persons offense.

Pena was released on his own recognizance pending a court appearance.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)