PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Déjà vu in the case of a Ponte Vedra 18-year-old accused in an antisemitic attack on four Jewish teenagers in October 2022.
The teen, who has continued having brushes with the law while out on bond, was jailed Friday morning on new charges, including reckless driving and fleeing and eluding law enforcement, prompting a judge to revoke his bond.
According to an arrest report, Noah Amato was driving at speeds exceeding 50mph through the Publix parking lot on Racetrack Road in St. Johns County when a St. Johns County Sheriff's deputy attempted to stop him. The arrest report says Amato fled, running a red light and turning off his headlights "in an attempt to run from law enforcement."
Amato continued to speed down Racetrack Road, "swinging through both lanes and at times was at a 90 degree angle to the travel lane," the report says. Deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop the car.
According to the report, "The defendant later gloated. 'If it was dry out and I could get traction, I would've been gone.'"
As First Coast News has been reporting, Amato was already facing bond revocation after prosecutors say he violated the terms of his release, twice.
Amato was arrested in May for the alleged attack last October. Four days after bonding out, he was cited in a motorcycle accident for driving without a motorcycle license.
Prosecutors filed their first motion for bond revocation on July 13. Four days after that, Amato was pulled over for an expired tag, according to a report from the sheriff’s office. During a search of the vehicle, deputies say they found a marijuana grinder and less than 20 grams of marijuana.
On Thursday, prosecutors amended their motion to revoke bond based on the drug possession incident, citing “to the defendant's continued illegal activity while out on bond.” A hearing on the matter was set for next week, but early Friday morning, Amato was arrested on the new charges. His bond on the traffic offenses was set at $12,000, but the judge revoked his bond on his original charges and he remains in jail.
In the October 2022 incident, Amato is accused of 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.
According to the incident 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 an earlier 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 state’s first motion to revoke bond, Amato's attorney Tim Pribisco argued prosecutors 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. Pribisco has not yet responded to the second bond revocation request.
First Coast News reached out to Pribisco for comment.
The State Attorney’s Office declined comment. Amato is currently scheduled to be back in court next Thursday.
