A North Carolina man, Zachary Newell, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for making violent and racist threats online. He was convicted for threatening to shoot and kill Black preschool children in a post on YouTube, which was part of a series of disturbing comments he made targeting minority groups.
The Threats and Motivation
Zachary Newell, 26, made online threats in August 2025, in which he stated he would “shoot up a black preschool” and “skin” children. He expressed happiness at the idea of making children suffer and mocked the potential deaths of Black people.
Newell’s comments were not just violent but racially motivated, with specific references to harming Black and Hispanic children.
How the Authorities Responded
The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to Newell’s threats after a “CyberTip” was submitted. On August 31, 2025, authorities questioned Newell about his comments. He admitted to posting the threats online but denied any intent to act on them.
According to Newell, his interest in targeting children was based on “academic” research after he had been influenced by extremist content he had been viewing on Twitter.
Federal Investigation and Sentence
The FBI quickly responded to prevent a possible shooting and launched an investigation into Newell’s posts. Despite his claims that his actions were not serious, Newell was charged with communicating threats across state lines, which is a federal offense.
In a federal court, Newell pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Statement from U.S. Attorney
In the press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle condemned Newell’s actions, calling his threats “disgusting and unacceptable.” Boyle emphasized that targeting children based on their race was a deeply harmful and vile act that could not be tolerated in a civilized society.
