NJ man arrested on assault charges against cops during Capitol riot

A New Jersey man was arrested this week for his alleged participation in the Capitol riot, with authorities accusing him of assaulting multiple law enforcement officials and spraying a chemical irritant at officers.

Christopher Joseph Quaglin of New Jersey was arrested on Tuesday and is facing charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.

Security footage appeared to show Quaglin at the riot wearing a red, white and blue shirt that said “Make America Great Again,” a black helmet and a gas mask, according to an affidavit signed by an FBI agent from the Department of Justice.

The affidavit said that the man “can be seen repeatedly assaulting multiple law enforcement officers guarding the Capitol.”  

Officials also claimed that Quaglin yelled at a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer that “You don’t want this fight. You do not want this f—— fight. You are on the wrong f—— side. You’re going to bring a f—— pistol, I’m going to bring a f—— cannon. You wait!”

He allegedly added, “Stay there like a f—— sheep.”

Later, Quaglin was seen on surveillance video pushing and shoving several officers, including holding one officer by the neck. He also appeared to “physically strike” a Capitol Police officer in video footage, in addition to lunging at an officer who was seeking to protect a Capitol Police officer who was pushed down by rioters. 

The man was also identified in video footage inside the Capitol during the riot. He “can be seen on video attacking officers with a stolen riot shield and spraying them with a chemical irritant,” according to the affidavit. He was later seen spaying “a chemical irritant directly into the face of an MPD Officer, who does not have a face shield or gas mask protecting him.” 

The affidavit states that law enforcement officials received a tip from an anonymous source with several “selfie-style” Facebook videos from an account under the name “Chris Trump.” The tipster identified the person in the video as Quaglin.

In one of the videos that appeared to be filmed after Quaglin returned to a hotel room following the riot, he states, “When you guys see the footage, I was the guy in the red, white and blue hoodie and the black helmet … I’m absolutely on a loop on Fox News … I got punched pretty good. … It was a great time, I got bumps and bruises.” 

In another video, Quaglin appears shirtless “as he narrates while cooking a steak in his shower,” according to the affidavit. He stated, “I’m exhausted, I’ve been pepper sprayed like twenty f—— times. I’m sure I’m going to make the news.”  

Hundreds of people have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot that left five people dead, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.

The violent mob of rioters were seeking to interrupt Congress’s certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory over former President Trump in the 2020 presidential election