Shocking Group Chat Exposed at Marlboro NJ School Board: Five Men Berate MAGA-Mom Danielle Bellomo and Spark Police Probe
During a heated, six-hour meeting of the Marlboro Board of Education, residents of Marlboro, New Jersey, unleashed their frustration when ugly text messages targeting board member and mother of three Danielle Bellomo — a well-known Trump supporter — came to light. The texts, shared in a group chat titled “ThisBitchNeedsToDie,” included remarks such as “Bellomo must be cold — her nips could cut glass right n,” and allegedly involved five men, some of whom hold or ran for leadership positions on the board.
More than 100 residents turned out for the meeting following the disclosure of the chats, which were reported by the New York Post and immediately provoked outrage across the community. Among those identified in the chat were former board-candidate Scott Semaya (who has since dropped out of the race), Vice President Chad Hyett, and husband of a sitting board member, Mitesh Gandhi.
At the meeting, one father voiced his disgust at the attackers, saying: “Five men ganging up on a woman? That’s pathetic, in my mind. It made me sick to my stomach. It’s embarrassing.” Families questioned not just the individual messages, but the judgment and values of the school board itself. “These are not people who belong around children,” one resident told the board, while another asked whether the board members had “the right set of morals and values to be entrusted with the responsibility this board holds.”
Despite the uproar, motions to remove Hyett and Board President Brian Cohen were defeated — an outcome residents say deepened the sense of institutional resistance to accountability. The board released a statement calling the chat “offensive,” but Bellomo noted the district has not enforced its existing civility policy, which states that threats against board members warrant strong response and removal from meetings. She said she and her children have been shaken by the attacks.
Law enforcement is now involved. The Marlboro Police Department confirmed that the text messages are part of an “active” investigation. Bellomo said there are additional communications she believes are “terrifying,” and noted her family is still coping. She declined to share them publicly, though she said she already holds a protective order against one participant.
The local electoral slate is in shambles. Semaya and his running mate, Melissa Goldberg, both dropped out after the texts surfaced. Critics say the incident speaks to a broader breakdown of civility and accountability in school district politics — a mirror of national polarization, where even local bodies become battlegrounds of ideology.
Mayor Jonathan Hornik condemned the messages as “completely unacceptable” and said those responsible are “clearly not equipped to hold public office.” He raised concern that threats against public officials and elected board members appear to be becoming normalized, a trend he said must stop.
For the wider community, the incident raises important questions about how politics and personal attacks are now entwined in places once reserved for children’s education and civic service. Board meetings that used to focus on budgets and policy are now scenes of confrontation and distrust, with parents demanding safety, respect, and genuine oversight.
As Marlboro heads toward its next election, the scandal leaves a stain on local governance and sends a clear message: when leaders and school board members engage in or fail to address hateful behavior, the public will push back — loudly.
