Florida man convicted of attacking Jewish teens

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after previously pleading guilty and not guilty to attacking four Jewish teenagers who were walking down a road dressed for a religious holiday in 2022.

Noah Amato, 19, of Ponte Vedra, was convicted Friday of aggravated battery and carrying a concealed firearm in the October 2022 attack. Local media reported his sentence also includes pleading guilty without a trial to fleeing police and reckless driving in 2023.

Investigators said Amato and a friend were riding bikes on Ponte Vedra Beach in 2022 under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Amato yelled slurs at a group of four Jewish teenagers who were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Amato then struck one of the teenagers in the face with a gun, deputies said, and fired a shot near the teen’s head, leaving burns on his face.

Amato’s attorney disputed parts of the account, saying there was a verbal confrontation between Amato and the Jewish teens. The attorney said the teen who was Amato’s target, Zalman Barrocas, first pushed Amato.

“I believe this man should receive the maximum sentence,” Barrocas said in testimony at his sentencing hearing. “My life could have ended that day. I believe this is a miracle from God and I thank him every day. I hope this is a story that ends with us being safer and being able to live in a society without fear.”

Rabbi Nochum Kurinsky, Barrocas’ uncle, has requested that Amato be charged with a hate crime. Prosecutors have previously said there are no pending hate crime charges.

Amato apologized for the pain he caused his family, telling the witness stand, “I take 100 percent responsibility for the horrible crime I committed. I was very drunk, I drank a whole bottle of alcohol and some Percocets.”