VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff’s Department reports that a 13-year-old boy survived an unprovoked throat-slashing attack on the Daytona Beach Boardwalk on February 14.
Sullivan Clarke was walking with his parents when Jermaine Long allegedly used a boxcutter to cut the teenager’s neck. Authorities arrested 44-year-old Long, who now faces a felony charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Sullivan said he survived because he happened to look up at a boardwalk ride at the exact moment of the attack, a movement that shifted his neck enough to prevent a fatal injury.
According to the report, the Clarke family was walking back to their hotel around 10 p.m. after spending the day at the Daytona International Speedway. Sullivan was using his phone and walking a few feet behind his parents when the suspect approached him.
Long, listed in court records as homeless, was released from jail on February 10, just four days before the attack on the boardwalk.
The Valentine’s Day incident followed a January arrest, where Long faced charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. Court records show he allegedly attacked two men with a kitchen knife and an eight-foot pole.
Long is still detained at the Volusia County Branch Jail. Court records indicate he is held without bond on the charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
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