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Danielle Bellomo, a mother-of-three and New Jersey conservative school-board member, remembers the moment she first saw the text message that would change her life: “She can’t die soon enough.”
“When I read those words, ‘She can’t die soon enough,’ it stopped me in my tracks,” Bellomo told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “I always knew there was disagreement politically, but I never really wrapped my head around the fact that they actually wanted me dead.”
Bellomo, a Marlboro Township Board of Education member, mother of three and longtime community volunteer, is now at the center of a case that has shaken her suburban New Jersey district and sparked outrage across the parental-rights movement nationwide.
A Monmouth County judge this week extended a temporary protective order against Mitesh Gandhi, the husband of another school board member, after reading aloud a series of text messages allegedly written by him. The messages included a group chat titled, “This B—- Needs to Die.”
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Danielle Bellomo, a New Jersey mother, was the subject of a viral text message scandal. (Danielle Bellomo via Facebook)
In one of the text threads, Gandhi allegedly referred to Bellomo as “a lying c—” and wrote, “Mission is to just let her die by herself lol.”
Another viral message, part of what was dubbed “Nipplegate” in October, appeared to show former board candidate Scott Semaya typing during a public meeting, “Bellomo must be cold — her nips could cut glass right n” with a finger about to press the ‘o’ on his phone’s keyboard.
Fox News Digital has reviewed screenshots of the alleged messages.
That image spread rapidly online last month, drawing condemnation from parents and even Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called the comments “wrong and evil.” Two candidates involved in the chat later dropped out of the school board race.
“It surprised me that it reached that level,” Bellomo said. “But it didn’t surprise me that conservatives stand behind one another. The parental-rights movement is strong.”
Bellomo has spent more than a decade volunteering in Marlboro Township schools. She says she ran for the board to support curriculum transparency and parental rights, not to become a target.
“I got involved in the school boards because I’m an active volunteer in our community. I’ve been involved with the parent organization that I account for going on 12 years,” she said. “So I saw the school board as the next step in furthering my involvement in the community and I wanted it to enhance my children’s educational experience while they were in the K-3 district. I never imagined that it would have led to this.”
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Danielle Bellomo, a New Jersey mom, was targeted in a group chat called “This B—- must Die” for her conservative political views. (Danielle Bellomo via Facebook)
The threats changed everything inside her home.
“My son is almost a teenager. He used to go places with his friends — now he asks if someone is going to 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 oldest son saw the coverage of grown men sharing lewd messages about Bellomo’s body on social media.
“That was humiliating for him,” she said. “He’s a middle-schooler. His friends saw it. It has affected every part of our life.”
According to Bellomo, online hostility in town isn’t new, but she said she believes this has crossed into something far more serious.
“There’s always been Facebook drama, people arguing,” she said. “When I realized that there wasn’t just one, but two different communications and possibly, you know, who knows how many more where one communication is a group chat that was titled, ‘This B—- needs to die,’ and then the other is actually plans and that there’s a mission and the mission is to watch me die or to have me die alone….. It really just takes it to a whole different level. It’s like, this is not just 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 dismiss Gandhi’s request to end the order, allowing Bellomo’s protective order to continue through January, when a full trial will be held.
Under New Jersey law, a harassment-related protective order can be extended if a judge finds an ongoing risk to the petitioner.
But at the criminal level, Bellomo says the Marlboro Police Department referred the case to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, which declined charges.
“I was disheartened, but not surprised,” she said. “We have a Democrat prosecutor. The police recommended charges, but he didn’t follow through.”
Bellomo says the most painful part has been the response, or lack thereof, from her own school district. One of the text threads, she claims, was sent during an in-person board meeting while she sat just feet away.
“Our township has policies. If someone is a threat, they’re not supposed to be allowed on school property,” she said. “Our superintendent, Dr. Michael Ballone, did nothing. Our board president, Brian Cohen, did nothing. They chose not to implement the policies that are already in place.”
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Lenny Thor, left, Chad Hyett and Mitesh Gandhi are some of those named to participate in the alleged group chat. ( )
“The Marlboro Township Public Schools (MTPS) takes the safety and security of all board members, staff, students, and families extremely seriously,” Ballone wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Administration has responded accordingly to Mrs. Bellomo’s concerns, including her expressions of feeling unsafe by working with the Marlboro Police Department, the entity responsible for ensuring all Marlboro residents (including Board members) are protected. We also added to our internal safety protocols which cannot be disclosed publicly,” Ballone added. “MTPS believes in maintaining a secure environment for everyone.”
Two fellow board members, Annette Siewert and Valentina Mendez, were the only colleagues who stepped in, she said.
“They begged the superintendent to protect us,” Bellomo said. “They stood up publicly and asked for action. Nobody else did.”
Bellomo says she has already heard from dozens of women who say her situation has scared them away from public service.
“They say, ‘I could never go through what you’re going through,’” she said. “That’s heartbreaking. Local government should not require you to put your family at risk.”
“I used to go to every school event, every community activity,” she said. “Now I keep the kids home from things. I send my husband inside first to check if people are there who shouldn’t be. My life changed overnight.”
Bellomo said she believes the threats stem from her outspoken advocacy of curriculum and parental rights, issues that have divided school boards across the country.
“I was very transparent during my campaign,” she said. “I stand firmly for parental rights, local control and age-appropriate curriculum. And I’ve pushed back hard on some of the policies coming down from the state.” She added, “I think that made me a target.”
Despite everything, Bellomo said she has no plans to quit the board.
“I absolutely want to continue,” she said. “This mission is too important. And I hope the district eventually implements the policies that are supposed to protect us.”
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What she wants most, she says, is to remind Americans that disagreement should never turn to calling for violence.
“We should be able to debate. We should be able to disagree,” Bellomo said. “But it should never rise to the level of wanting to hurt someone. We can do better than this.”
Gandhi, Semaya, Cohen and the county prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.