Mequon, Wisconsin – October 8, 2026 – Matthew Arndt, 54, a Green Party candidate for Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District, was arrested Thursday following a road-rage confrontation with a 40-year-old man that included profane and antisemitic statements, according to Mequon police and local media reports.
Police said officers responded at approximately 8:50 a.m. to a reported disorderly conduct incident involving two Mequon residents on Mequon Road. Investigators said the encounter involved alleged dangerous driving and obscene gestures before both men entered a Mobil gas station parking lot near Mequon and Wauwatosa roads. Police alleged that Arndt then made protane and antisemitic statements. He was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct with a hate-crime enhancer.
Authorities said the case would be referred to the Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office for a charging decision.
The other driver, an Israeli immigrant who said he was taking his young son to school, recorded part of the confrontation. He said he believed the incident began because his vehicle displayed an Israeli flag and a bumper sticker criticizing Hamas. Video showed Arndt cursing at the driver, denouncing Israel and identifying himself as a congressional candidate.
The father said his son became nervous during the encounter.
