A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a Jewish man visiting South Florida from New York, directing antisemitic remarks at him and his wife and threatening to kill him, police said.
The suspect, identified as Jorden Stephen Perozo, approached the couple on an electric scooter during a confrontation that began along Harding Avenue in Surfside, a coastal community north of Miami Beach with a sizable Jewish population. After an exchange of words, Perozo allegedly struck the man in the head.
According to arrest records cited by U.S. media, Perozo faces a charge of battery with prejudice and harassing or intimidating a person based on religious or ethnic heritage.
He was arrested Wednesday at his workplace, a Flanigan’s restaurant on Harding Avenue near the site of the alleged attack.
‘Now you’re going to die’
The confrontation occurred at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday, according to the arrest report.
The couple, who were visiting from New York, were walking along Harding Avenue when Perozo approached them on an electric scooter. Police said he began cursing at the man, his wife and other members of the Jewish community.
According to the report, Perozo became angry, struck the man on the side of his head and told him, “Now you’re going to die” and “Walk away before I kill you.”
Police said he continued making hostile remarks toward the couple, calling them “evil demons” and making comments about Israel and the Palestinians.
Suspect seen striking the victim
(Photo: from social media)
The victim’s wife, identified by her first name, Sophia, recorded part of the confrontation on her cellphone.
“He was just saying so much hate... with such hatred,” she told CBS News Miami.
Her husband, Abraham, described the alleged assault: “He charges at me, and he starts to hit me.”
The couple asked that their last name not be published.
Sophia said Perozo also moved toward her before an older man passing by shouted at him in Spanish to stop. The confrontation ended shortly afterward, according to reports.
Police: Such attacks ‘will not be tolerated’
Interim Surfside Police Chief Jay Matelis said the community would not tolerate such incidents and warned that those responsible for similar acts would face arrest.
The couple thanked Surfside police for their response and said the attack would not deter them from visiting South Florida again. According to CBS News Miami, they said the police chief even encouraged them to consider moving to the area.
The arrest is not Perozo’s first encounter with law enforcement.
On June 15, he was arrested in neighboring Miami Beach on suspicion of damaging property after police accused him of slashing a giant inflatable FIFA soccer ball installed in the city ahead of the 2026 World Cup.