A New Braunfels Fire Department lieutenant has been placed on administrative leave after Facebook posts surfaced in which he allegedly called Muslims “pigs” and proposed a watch party with pork and bacon for the livestreamed execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Lt. John Weige was put on leave effective Monday morning as the city opened an investigation into his social media conduct.
According to herald-zeitung.com, Weige made or reshared posts containing derogatory statements about Muslims and immigrants, including language calling Muslims “pigs.” In one post, Weige allegedly referred to Hasan as the “Muslim pig,” writing, “Who wants to have a watch party for the livestream execution of the Muslim pig Hasan?” He also reportedly suggested the group could “bbq some pork and fry up some bacon” while using anti-Muslim hashtags, according to the outlet. By Monday afternoon, Weige's Facebook account was no longer visible, per the seed reporting reviewed for this story.
New Braunfels City Manager Robert Camareno addressed the posts directly, saying they do not represent the city or its fire department. “Those posts do not reflect the values or positions of the New Braunfels Fire Department or the City of New Braunfels,” Camareno said, according to herald-zeitung.com's reporting. Camareno said the city is aware of the posts and shares the concerns raised by the community, adding that any resulting action will be based on the investigation's findings along with applicable personnel policies, federal law, and civil service rules.
The Execution at the Center of the Posts
The posts referenced the case of Nidal Hasan, who was convicted for the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. Hasan is scheduled for execution at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, 2026, which would mark the first U.S. military execution in more than 65 years, according to npr.org. NPR reports the Pentagon has said the firing-squad execution will be livestreamed. Officials have not finalized whether that livestream will actually take place, a detail that remains unresolved according to KSAT's reporting on the fire lieutenant's leave.
Any attempt to delay the execution would likely run through federal court. Hasan’s lawyer has considered a habeas corpus petition as a possibility, though it is not established whether such a petition has been filed. The last U.S. military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was put to death by hanging, per NPR's reporting, underscoring how rare Hasan's case is within military justice history.
A Pattern Seen in Other Fire Departments
Weige's case is not an isolated one nationally. Firefighters in multiple jurisdictions have faced investigations or discipline over anti-Muslim, racist or otherwise offensive posts made on personal social media accounts, according to firerescue1.com. In one cited example, a Houston firefighter was placed on administrative duty and investigated after a personal Facebook post reportedly read, “Proud Infidel. F*** Islam and F*** Muslims.” The outlet notes that Houston's social media policy extends to all city employees, including the roughly 4,000 personnel of the Houston Fire Department.
A more recent case out of Florida shows how these disputes can end up in court. A Jacksonville firefighter filed suit against the City of Jacksonville last month, according to firelawblog.com, alleging he was disciplined over off-duty comments posted to his personal Facebook account. That firefighter received a Level 1 Written Reprimand and was ordered to complete Title VII race-compliance training after statements characterized as racially insensitive and disparaging, the firm's reporting states.
What Comes Next for New Braunfels
New Braunfels says fire personnel fall under Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code, the state's civil-service framework governing hiring, promotions and seniority for fire and police employees, with oversight from the city's Civil Service Commission, according to information published by newbraunfels.gov. Camareno has said that any discipline stemming from the investigation into Weige will be weighed against personnel policy, federal law and civil service rules, though the city has not said what specific outcome it expects or how long the review will take.
For now, Weige remains on leave while the city's inquiry continues. New Braunfels residents reportedly alerted KSAT to the posts over the weekend, and the fallout has drawn renewed attention to how local governments handle off-duty speech by uniformed personnel, particularly as Hasan's unprecedented execution date approaches in December.
