13-Year-Old Slashed in Neck on Daytona Beach Boardwalk

A 13-year-old boy narrowly escaped death during a random slashing attack on the Daytona Beach Boardwalk in Florida on Valentine's Day, when a 44-year-old man allegedly cut his neck with a box cutter as the teen walked with his family.

The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on February 14 near the Slingshot ride, where Sullivan Clarke was visiting with his parents for the Daytona 500 weekend. Authorities arrested Jermaine Lynn Long shortly after, charging him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Long remains in custody at Volusia County Jail, where records indicate he was granted a $50,000 surety bond but has not posted it. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 10.

According to a probable cause affidavit and witness accounts, Clarke was on his phone and did not see Long approach from behind. The boy turned his head at the last moment to look at the ride, causing the blade to strike the side of his neck instead of his jugular vein or windpipe. Bystanders in a nearby car alerted him to the injury, as he initially did not realize he had been cut. His father, Jerod Clarke, described the gruesome scene: "I could see his neck gashed wide open. I could see all the way down...