ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A Ponte Vedra teenager accused of an antisemitic attack last October could be headed back to jail after prosecutors asked a judge to revoke his bond.
Noah Amato, 18, is charged with attacking a group of Jewish teens dressed in religious garb after calling them an antisemitic slur. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault.
The incident happened last October, and Amato wasn’t arrested until May 16. Four days later, court records show, he injured someone driving a motorcycle without a license. Prosecutors say that violated the terms of his pretrial release.
“Due to the defendant's continued illegal activity while out on bond, the State urges the court to revoke the defendant’s bond in this matter,” the motion says.
According to his October arrest report, Amato called a teenager dressed for the Jewish holiday Sukkot a “Jewish f*****” then pulled out a gun, which he used to strike the victim’s face, discharging the weapon, causing burns to the victim’s face.
The teen’s uncle, Rabbi Nochum Kurinsky, director at Chabad Beaches, disputes that account. He says his nephew, along with his two sons and a friend, were walking along Solana Road near A1A when two teens on bikes rode past, one yelling the slur.
“He yelled out something antisemitic and without hesitation was going to shoot somebody in the face, right in Ponte Vedra,” said Kurinsky.
He believes Amato fired the gun deliberately, not accidentally, and says the bullet grazed his nephew’s face. He and the victim’s family want the incident charged as a hate crime.
“I would like to see charges and I would like to see the maximum charges,” Kurinsky told First Coast News earlier this month.
The State Attorney’s Office has previously said there are no hate crime charges pending. In a statement, Amato’s attorney said, “Noah is not charged with a hate crime, and we are focused on reviewing the state’s discovery and preparing Noah’s defense against the current charges.”
In response to the recent motion to revoke bond, Amato's attorney Tim Pribisco argued the state knew about Amato’s May 20 motorcycle ticket but didn’t initially push for a bond revocation, and in fact seemed satisfied with the fact that he had a “motorcycle training card.”
Citing “significant delay," Pribisco noted the state didn’t move to revoke bond until July 10 (five days after First Coast News initially reported the story).
Pribisco has asked for a hearing on the matter, but no date has yet been set.t
