An avowed white nationalist was arrested after posting a threatening video on Instagram intimating an attack at an Ohio Jewish community center.
New Middleton Police Chief Vincent D’Egidio said James Reardon Jr., 20, posted a video July 11 on Instagram of someone shooting an assault weapon with the caption: “Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon.”
He tagged the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown in the post, which triggered an intense investigation that included the FBI.
Reardon attended the violent protests in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, WKBN reported. He was also interviewed in a documentary in which he said he was a white nationalist.
"This is a person that has declared himself as a white nationalist. With the hate crimes and everything else going on, we want to make sure we did our part to make sure this person was taken off the streets very quickly," Vincent D'Egidio, the police chief in New Middletown told WKBN.
Investigators raided Reardon's house Friday and recovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition, several assault weapons, a rifle with a bayonet, an anti-tank gun and a bulletproof vest, WFMJ reported.
Reardon was arrested and charged with menacing and harassing. He is being held on $250,000 bond. His first court appearance is Monday. The FBI has not announced if they will pursue charges against Reardon also.
There was increased security at the community center during the investigation and that is expected to continue, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation told WFMJ.
"Grateful for the work of the FBI, local law enforcement and our community partners in the Youngstown Jewish community," the Anti-Defamation League's Cleveland chapter said on social media. "We will continue to employ all our resources to stop the spread of white nationalism and violent extremism."
About the Author
