Man arrested in Youngstown after online threat to JCC
He had posted anti-Semitic content on Instagram
A 20-year-old male who made an online threat to the Youngstown Jewish Community Center was arrested early on Aug. 17.
The Youngstown Police, law enforcement in surrounding jurisdictions, and the FBI worked in conjunction to arrest the suspect, James Patrick Reardon, who allegedly threatened to carry out a shooting at the Youngstown JCC. He is being held on charges of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing, according to local reports.
A video posted on Instagram last week showed Reardon shooting an assault rifle, accompanied by the sounds of sirens and screams. Under the video Reardon added the caption, “Police identify shooter of Youngstown Jewish Family Center as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon.” The Youngstown JCC was tagged in the post.
A search of his home found assault weapons, extra ammunition, a gas mask and other items that were seized, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Reported.
The rest of the Instagram account contained many images of Reardon or someone else shooting guns, and “lots of anti-Semitic comments and white nationalist content,” CNN reported.
“I am so very grateful to the local FBI and law enforcement for their swift and strong response to this matter and for their continued willingness to keep the lines of communication open at all times,” said Andy Lipkin, executive vice president of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation. “It is because of their efforts that a very positive resolution to this matter has occurred. The positive result here is a clear example of the importance of monitoring social media to identify credible, hate-fueled threats before they are acted on.” pjc
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