A New Jersey man was charged with making a terroristic threat after he intentionally coughed near a supermarket employee and told her he had the coronavirus, the authorities said on the same day that the Justice Department warned of similar threats to spread the virus.

The man, George Falcone, 50, of Freehold, N.J., was shopping for groceries at a Wegmans store in Manalapan, N.J., on Sunday evening when a worker asked him to move away from her and a food display because he was too close, the state attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, said on Tuesday.

The authorities said that Mr. Falcone leaned in close to the worker to cough and allegedly laughed, telling her that he was infected with the virus. Mr. Falcone later told two other store employees that they were lucky to have jobs, officials said.

Mr. Falcone was charged with making a terroristic threat in the third degree and fourth-degree of obstructing administration of law, Mr. Grewal said. Both charges are considered felonies in New Jersey.