# "Coal Rollers:" can they be charged with assault? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669 "2014-07-08T22:23:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/61 "2014-07-10T21:41:01Z")
Do we have any reliable cite for the existence of this practice? ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/62 "2014-07-10T21:57:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do we have any reliable cite for the existence of this practice? A search of “rolling coal” on Youtube results in several videos of this practice. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/63 "2014-07-10T22:01:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do we have any reliable cite for the existence of this practice? I’m just one data point, but it happened to my folks last week. Sadly for these morons, they didn’t realize the yahoo in front of them was doing all that on purpose. Instead, they just figured he was too broke to fix his piece of shit truck. And the funniest part? They’re all (my family) Obama hatin,’ gun totin,’ Republicans. Perhaps they need to put up a sign in the back window of their Prius to that affect? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/64 "2014-07-10T22:10:26Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > My answer is yes. Blowing exhaust on someone’s car is contact of an insulting or provoking nature to something intimately associated with a person. Your answer appears to be a guess. I can say for sure that it does not fit the New Jersey statute for assault. [http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/2c-the-new-jersey-code-of-criminal-justice/12-1.html](http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/2c-the-new-jersey-code-of-criminal-justice/12-1.html) Maybe disorderly conduct. Possibly harassment. Certainly a motor vehicle violation. For the other states, you will have 49 different answers. And depending on the wording, you might not get an answer until there is some case law. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/65 "2014-07-11T01:35:19Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > The thing is, emitting a cloud of black smoke is moderately harmless, compared to acid or urine, unless it’s so thick as to cause a danger or continuous enough to endanger a bicycle rider. I can state from personal experience that _normal_ diesel exhaust can be a real hazard to a bicycle rider. I used to ride everywhere, and I wore contact lenses. A normal acceleration cloud would, from time to time, put an excruciatingly painful particulate in my eye such that I would have to stop and cry for five minutes to get it out. So, just randomly dumping smoke on a person is a highly risky proposition (e.g., “_oh, sorry about spraying you with peanut oil, I had no idea you were allergic_”). ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/66 "2014-07-11T02:18:01Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I recall a news item about some police (?!) attending a convention in downtown Toronto decades ago; they were up on a bridge over the road and dropped a water balloon on a colleague’s car as it drove under - and took out the windshield. (I have taken out a 3rd-floor window with a water balloon using a slingshot made with a funnel and surgical tubing… oops). Do not assume that a water balloon is harmless. > > Acid is a harmful substance. It can cause bodily harm. > Urine is an offensive substance even if it is sterile, but I doubt that “it does no lasting harm” is ok; if it requires clothes and your person to be washed, it has caused harm, so water-soluble dye or urine is still “causing damage” if not bodily harm. > > Adding oil to a city street is public mischief at the very least; in fact, it is intentionally going to cause automobile accidents, so it could be vandalism, reckless endangerment plus a host of traffic offenses. Same with ball bearings or nails. > > The thing is, emitting a cloud of black smoke is moderately harmless, compared to acid or urine … In fact more harmful than urine and “offensive” … seems like that is (in these cases possibly literally) the eye of the beholder. Like oil this smoke significantly increases the risk of an accident. This is setting off a noxious smoke cloud in front of other drivers and cyclists, impeding vision and intentionally causing dangerous conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/67 "2014-07-11T12:04:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do we have any reliable cite for the existence of this practice? 😕 How about the two links in my OP? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/68 "2014-07-11T14:10:15Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > For the other states, you will have 49 different answers. And depending on the wording, you might not get an answer until there is some case law. [http://theulelaw.com/flour-bomb-kim-kardashian-assault-and-battery-charges/](http://theulelaw.com/flour-bomb-kim-kardashian-assault-and-battery-charges/) This is for flour bombing of a celebrity, but I would think it would apply similarly to coal rolling. Perhaps not, I’m not a lawyer. Sounds like these cases are full of nuance until some precedent gets established. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/69 "2014-07-11T19:22:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Your answer appears to be a guess. > > I can say for sure that it does not fit the New Jersey statute for assault. [http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/2c-the-new-jersey-code-of-criminal-justice/12-1.html](http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/2c-the-new-jersey-code-of-criminal-justice/12-1.html) > > Maybe disorderly conduct. Possibly harassment. Certainly a motor vehicle violation. > > For the other states, you will have 49 different answers. And depending on the wording, you might not get an answer until there is some case law. Unless there is another statute, it seems that NJ doesn’t outlaw “offensive” touching, only harmful. What would be the penalty in your state if I kept giving you a “wet willie” and you didn’t like it and told me to stop? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/70 "2014-07-12T03:23:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Machine Elf** : > > How about the two links in my OP? Those links go to the Daily Mail and to Youtube, respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/71 "2014-07-12T13:55:59Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Unless there is another statute, it seems that NJ doesn’t outlaw “offensive” touching, only harmful. What would be the penalty in your state if I kept giving you a “wet willie” and you didn’t like it and told me to stop? Harassment. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/72 "2014-07-12T14:19:53Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Urine is an offensive substance even if it is sterile, but I doubt that “it does no lasting harm” is ok; if it requires clothes and your person to be washed, it has caused harm, so water-soluble dye or urine is still “causing damage” if not bodily harm. If Diesel soot is deposited on clothes, then it requires those clothes and your person to be washed. If it is deposited on your car, then it requires the car to be washed. So it is ‘causing damage’, if not bodily harm. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/73 "2014-07-12T18:33:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If Diesel soot is deposited on clothes, then it requires those clothes and your person to be washed. If it is deposited on your car, then it requires the car to be washed. So it is ‘causing damage’, if not bodily harm. There is a lot of shoehorning going on in this thread. In a legal sense I would never make getting something dirty the same as causing damage. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/74 "2014-07-12T18:46:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Those links go to the Daily Mail and to Youtube, respectively. A bunch of videos of something happening is a pretty good cite that it exists. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/75 "2014-07-12T20:00:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There is a lot of shoehorning going on in this thread. In a legal sense I would never make getting something dirty the same as causing damage. So if I throw a cream pie at someone, you don’t think I’m causing damage? [The courts seem to disagree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieing#Convicted). ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/76 "2014-07-12T20:19:24Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > My answer is yes. Blowing exhaust on someone’s car is contact of an insulting or provoking nature to something intimately associated with a person. And you have some case law for this “intimately associated” thing you’ve read into the law? Or the proposition that a car is “intimately associated” in the first place? Because I would love to defend against that charge with that fact pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/77 "2014-07-12T20:31:29Z")
To be clear, I don’t mean proof that it happens at all, ever. I mean proof that it happens to any remotely significant degree. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/78 "2014-07-13T05:38:36Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > … > Question: Could these drivers be charged with assault?.. Most certainly, or minimally reckless endangerment, depending on circumstances. It would be legally no different than taking a pedestrian discharging an aerosol can into someone’s face. ---
**Author:** ![runningdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@runningdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runningdude)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/79 "2014-07-13T05:48:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Your answer appears to be a guess. > > I can say for sure that it does not fit the New Jersey statute for assault. [http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/2c-the-new-jersey-code-of-criminal-justice/12-1.html](http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/2c-the-new-jersey-code-of-criminal-justice/12-1.html) [QUOTE=New Jersey statute for assault] New Jersey Statutes - Title 2C The New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice - 2C:12-1 Assault. ``` 2C:12-1. Assault. a. Simple assault. A person is guilty of assault if he: (1) **Attempts** to cause or purposely, **knowingly** or **recklessly** causes bodily injury to another; or ``` [/QUOTE] The statute here does not place a lower limit on “bodily injury”. They could likely be successfully prosecuted for simple assault based on knowingly exposing involuntary victims to noxious fumes. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669/80 "2014-07-13T11:00:08Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > And of course these “coal rollers” first determined that the particular Prius drivers they attacked did in fact think of themselves as superior, right? How did they determine this? NPR sticker. Or one of those “Coexist” signs. Eyeglasses. That sort of thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-can-they-be-charged-with-assault/692669.md?page=5)