Ohio man charged in threats to Jewish community center

Ohio police reportedly arrested a man they said made threats toward a local Jewish Community Center. 

James Reardon, Jr., 20, is charged with telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing, ABC News reports. 

Police said they found a semi-automatic weapons, dozens of rounds of ammo, a gas masks and bulletproof armor at Reardon’s home following an investigation into a social media post, according to reports. 

New Middletown Police Chief Vincent D’Egidio told ABC affiliate WYTV Reardon posted a video on Instagram of a man shooting a semi-automatic rifle with sirens and screams in the background. {mosads}

Police said the caption on the post read “Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon,” and tagged the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown, the outlet reports. 

Police said the rest of Reardon’s social media is filled with racial slurs and comments against minorities.

The post kicked off an “intense investigation,” D’Egidio told the local outlet. It led to the warrant to raid Reardon’s home where police found the ammo and weapons. 

Reardon also reportedly took part in the protests in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 where a white nationalist protestor killed one woman and injured others. 

The Anti-Defamation League of Cleveland tweeted to thank local police and FBI. 

“Grateful for the work of the FBI, local law enforcement and our community partners in the Youngstown Jewish community. We will continue to employ all our resources to stop the spread of white nationalism and violent extremism,” the organization said.

Grateful for the work of the FBI, local law enforcement and our community partners in the Youngstown Jewish community. We will continue to employ all our resources to stop the spread of white nationalism and violent extremism.https://t.co/T4pcDHSRI6

— ADL Cleveland (@ADL_Cleveland) August 18, 2019

The Youngstown Area Jewish Federation said Saturday they have reached out to police to increase security at the Jewish Community Center and local synagogues, WYTV reports. 

“I’m confident that we are doing what we need to do at this point, but the world has changed and we always have to assess what we are doing moving forward,” said Andrew Lipkin from the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.