Florida Man Arrested for Violent Anti-Semitic Attack on Jewish Couple from New York

A 35-year-old man named Jordan Steven Prozo was arrested in Surfside, Florida, for violently attacking a Jewish couple from New York. The incident occurred on Sunday around 9:15 p.m. on Harding Avenue, where Prozo, riding an electric scooter, confronted Abraham and Sophia, verbally abusing them with anti-Semitic slurs and threats. According to the police report, the verbal altercation quickly escalated into physical violence when Prozo struck Abraham on the side of his head while shouting death threats and hateful remarks related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sophia managed to record part of the attack on her phone and described the barrage of hateful insults to CBS News Miami. She also recounted how an elderly bystander intervened by shouting at Prozo in Spanish, which helped end the assault. Prozo was later located and arrested at his workplace, a local restaurant near the attack site. He faces charges including aggravated assault motivated by religious or ethnic hatred, harassment, and intimidation.

Surfside Police Acting Chief Jay Matlis emphasized zero tolerance for anti-Semitic acts and hate crimes in the city. The victims expressed gratitude for the swift police response and stated that the traumatic event would not deter them from visiting South Florida in the future. Prozo has a prior record, including a June arrest in Miami Beach for vandalizing a large FIFA World Cup inflatable display.

This attack is part of a rising global trend of anti-Semitic incidents. Recent examples include the dismissal of a federal judge in Argentina for anti-Semitic tweets and a verbal assault on a Hasidic Jew in France, which is under criminal investigation. Conversely, some positive responses have emerged, such as Palestinian-Swedish Education Minister Simona Mohamsson wearing a Star of David publicly to protest anti-Semitism, despite receiving online hate.