NJ school board member extends protective order after alleged death threats

Danielle Bellomo, a mother of three and a conservative school board member in New Jersey, remembers the moment she first saw the text message that would change her life: “He can’t die this soon.”

“When I read the words, ‘He can’t die that soon,’ it stopped me in my tracks,” Bellomo told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “I always knew there were political disagreements, but I never quite grasped the fact that they actually wanted me dead.”

Bellomo, a Marlboro County Board of Education member, mother of three and longtime community volunteer, is now at the center of a case that has shaken the New Jersey suburb and sparked outrage in the parental rights movement nationwide.

This week, a Monmouth County judge extended a temporary protective order against him after reading aloud a series of text messages allegedly written by Mitesh Gandhi, the husband of another school board member. The messages included a group chat titled “This Whore Needs to Die.”

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In one of the threads, Gandhi allegedly referred to Bellomo as a “lying scumbag” and wrote: “The duty is to let him die alone lol.”

Another viral message in October, dubbed “Nipplegate,” showed former board candidate Scott Semaya writing, “Bellomo must be cold – her tits could cut the glass right side up,” as he was about to press the ‘o’ key on his phone keyboard with his finger during a public meeting.

Fox News Digital reviewed screenshots of the alleged messages.

The image went viral last month, prompting condemnation from parents and even Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called the comments “wrong and evil.” Two candidates who participated in the conversation later withdrew from the school board race.

“I was surprised that it reached this level,” Bellomo said. “But it doesn’t surprise me that conservatives have each other’s backs. The parental rights movement is strong.”

Bellomo has been volunteering in Marlboro Township schools for more than a decade. He says he’s running for the board not to be a target, but to support curriculum transparency and parental rights.

“I got involved with school boards because I’m an active volunteer in our community. I’ve been involved in the parent organization, which I think has been going on for 12 years,” she said. “So I saw the school board as the next step in furthering my involvement in the community and wanted it to enhance my children’s educational experiences while they were in the K-3 district. I never thought it would lead to this.”

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Danielle Bellomo, a New Jersey mother, was targeted in a group chat called “This B—– Must Die” for her conservative political views. (Danielle Bellomo via Facebook)

The threats changed everything in his home.

“My son is almost a teenager. He used to go places with his friends; now he asks if anyone will come to our house,” she said. “My 8-year-old cries if she thinks I have a board meeting. My youngest keeps asking if I’m safe.”

Her eldest son saw adult men posting suggestive messages about Bellomo’s body on social media.

“It was humiliating for him,” he said. “He’s a middle school student. His friends saw it. It affected every aspect of our lives.”

According to Bellomo, online hostility in the city is not new, but he said he believes it has escalated into something much more serious.

“There was always Facebook drama, people arguing,” he said. “When I realized that there was not just one, but two separate communications, and probably who knows how many more, where one communication was a group chat titled ‘This B—- needs to die,’ and then the other communication was actually a plan and the mission was to watch me die or make sure I died alone… It really takes it to a whole different level. It’s like this isn’t just a normal disagreement.”“

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Gandhi did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. (Mitesh Gandhi via Facebook)

The judge overseeing the protective order hearing refused to deny Gandhi’s request to terminate the order and allowed Bellomo’s protective order to continue until January, when a full hearing is scheduled to take place.

Under New Jersey law, a harassment protective order may be extended if the judge determines there is a continuing risk to the plaintiff.

But on the criminal level, Bellomo said the Marlboro Police Department referred the case to the Monmouth County District Attorney’s Office, which dismissed the charges.

“I was discouraged but not surprised,” he said. “We have a Democratic prosecutor. The police suggested charges, but he didn’t follow through.”

Bellomo says the most painful part was the response, or lack thereof, from his school district. He claims one of the message threads was sent during an in-person board meeting while he was sitting just feet away.

“Our district has policies. If someone poses a threat, they should not be allowed on school property,” he said. “Our superintendent, Dr. Michael Ballone, did nothing. Our board president, Brian Cohen, did nothing. They chose not to enforce policies that were already in place.”

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Lenny Thor (left), Chad Hyett and Mitesh Gandhi are some of the names who will participate in the alleged group chat. ( )

“Marlboro Township Public Schools (MTPS) takes the safety and security of all board members, staff, students and families extremely seriously,” Ballone said in a statement to Fox News Digital. he wrote.

“Management worked with the Marlboro Police Department, the agency responsible for ensuring the protection of all Marlboro residents (including Board members), by appropriately responding to Ms. Bellomo’s concerns, including her statements that she did not feel safe. We also added to our internal security protocols, which are not publicly available,” Ballone added. “MTPS believes in providing a safe environment for everyone.”

Two fellow board members, Annette Siewert and Valentina Mendez were the only colleagues who stepped in, he said.

“They begged the inspector to protect us,” Bellomo said. “They stood up publicly and demanded action. No one else did.”

Bellomo says she has already heard dozens of women say their situation scares them away from public service.

“They say, ‘I could never go through what you’re going through,'” he said. “This is very sad. The local government should not be asking you to put your family at risk.”

“I used to go to every school event, every community event,” he said. “I keep the kids out of the house now. I send my husband in first to check if there are people there that shouldn’t be there. My life changed overnight.”

Bellomo said he believed the threats stemmed from his outspoken advocacy on curriculum and parental rights issues that have divided school boards across the country.

“I was very transparent during my campaign,” he said. “I firmly advocate for parental rights, local control, and age-appropriate curriculum. And I have pushed back hard on some policies from the state.” “I guess that made me a target,” he added.

Despite everything, Bellomo said he has no plans to leave the board.

“I definitely want to continue,” he said. “This mission is very important. I hope the district will eventually implement the policies that are supposed to protect us.”

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What he wants most, he says, is to remind Americans that disagreement should never turn into a call for violence.

“We should be able to argue. We should be able to disagree,” Bellomo said. “But this should never rise to the level of wanting to harm someone. We can do better than that.”

Gandhi, Semaya, Cohen and the district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.