Suspect Arrested in Florida Antisemitic Attack Previously Accused of Slashing Giant FIFA Ball Display

Shiryn Ghermezian

A street in Surfside, Florida. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A man from Miami Beach, Florida, who was arrested on Wednesday and accused of assaulting and threatening to kill a Jewish person during an antisemitic attack in Surfside had also been arrested earlier this summer for an unrelated violent incident, according to his arrest report cited by media outlets.

Jorden Stephen Perozo, 35, was taken into custody by the Surfside Police Department and is facing one count each of battery with prejudice and harassing or intimidating a person based on religious or ethnic heritage. He was arrested at his job at the Flanigan’s Bar and Grill on Harding Avenue and taken into custody without incident, according to police.

The antisemitic attack took place on Aug. 16 when a Jewish man and his wife, who were visiting Florida from New York, were walking along Harding Avenue. Perozo approached them on an electric scooter and cursed at them along with others in the Jewish community, according to the arrest report cited by NBC Miami. Perozo then punched the husband on the side of the head and told him, “Now you’re going to die. Walk away before I kill you.” He continued telling the victim that he hated him, called the couple “evil demons,” and made statements targeting Israel and “Palestine,” the affidavit stated. The victim’s wife recorded the incident on her cellphone.

Perozo appeared in court on Thursday. He was issued a $6,000 bond and ordered to stay away from the couple, according to NBC Miami.

Perozo was arrested in June on a criminal mischief charge after police accused him of slashing a giant inflatable FIFA ball that was on display in Miami Beach, as the city hosted 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.