A frequent New Jersey town hall disruptor struck again this week — pulling a stunt at a Tuesday meeting that landed him in handcuffs, but not before serenading the room with a few lyrics from a popular Morrissey hit.
Cranford resident William Thilly, 52, who reguarly causes scenes at public hearings, was arrested Tuesday night after he refused to leave the podium during a township committee meeting, NJ.com reported.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Thilly approached the podium with a sign that read “REFUSE GOVT. ABUSE.”
Thilly complained about what he described as government abuse around the world, but when his allotted five minutes were up, he refused to yield the floor.
The town hall menace then blasted Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” over the loudspeaker and sang along, waving his hands in the air as he belted out the first bars.
Despite receiving several warnings from the township committee members, Thilly continued to passionately sing the lyrics to the 1994 hit — which included the lines, “The more you ignore me, the closer I get, you’re wasting your time.”
Thilly, who previously ran and lost for a place on the township’s committee, was swiftly arrested by police and escorted out of the meeting.
The 52-year-old was slapped with third-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, disrupting a meeting and obstructing the administration of law.
Authorities say that as Thilly was escorted out of the meeting by several officers, he deliberately fell to the ground which caused one officer to sustain a knee injury and require hospital care, the outlet reported.
Social media videos of the stunt show the wannabe crooner falling to the ground as he was being removed by police, but does not clearly show how the officer’s knee injury occurred.
“The Cranford Police Department has been dedicated to ensuring that our community can express themselves freely during the public comment portion of meetings,” Cranford Police Chief Matthew Nazzaro said in a statement to the outlet.
“However, it’s crucial to understand that freedom of speech does not equate to freedom from consequences, especially when an officer is injured in the course of his duties.”
Before Thilly’s singing snafu, another Cranford resident who identified himself as “Bongholeo,” took to the podium wearing a large purple bong costume.
The resident clutched to a fake baby named “Bongolito” that was also dressed as a bong while he belted out a parody of Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” song in his allotted time.
Thilly made headlines in September 2025 during another Cranford township meeting when he sashayed up to the podium and tried to breakdance as witnesses clamped their hands over their mouths as they tried not to laugh.
He also sued town officials and the governing body in November last year, over alleged free speech violations and claimed the council censored him during a meeting that month by staging a walk out after he showed up holding a beach ball, the outlet reported.
Cranford Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunter said that while township officials support residents’ rights to participate in the meetings, recent disruptions have caused residents to feel unsafe.
“Everyone has the right to speak, sing, dance and record our meetings and no one has ever been denied that opportunity,” she said.
“However, being continuously disruptive, combative and infringing on others’ right to speak or listen will not be tolerated,” she said.
“These disruptions have been going on since last year and I am concerned the behavior of a few has escalated to the point where residents do not feel safe at Township Meetings and that their concerns and ideas are being drowned out by the antics,” Prunter added.
Authorities said the stuntman was released from custody pending an appearance in the Union County Superior Court, NJ.com reported.
Thilly’s attorney declined to comment when contacted by the outlet.
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