A vicious antisemitic battery occurred near a Lauderhill synagogue on Saturday afternoon, landing a man in the hospital and the alleged attacker behind bars. The victim, a 68-year-old man, was brutalized while leaving the Synagogue of Inverrary-Chabad and donning Orthodox Jewish attire. According to the Sun Sentinel, the suspect, identified as 42-year-old Trevor Rodney, was reportedly hitting the victim in the face, and yelled "you (expletive) Jew" during the assault.
The assailant fled the scene but was later located by the victim and a synagogue security guard, as the Lauderhill Police Department noted. Rodney's arrest followed –, and he remains in custody at the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail. The NBC Miami report included Rabbi Yaniv Moryosef's account, detailing that his father, Asher Moryosef, the victim, suffered greatly from the incident: "He was all swollen, bleeding from his face from his eyes. His eyes were totally red." An Uber driver intervened during the altercation by threatening to call the police, which reportedly stopped the attack.
Rodney's bizarre claims to the police included a description of the altercation as a "dance" to avoid each other on the sidewalk, and delusions about the victim's "head was spinning in circles, blue cloud appeared over the victim’s head and he feared the victim would eat his face." These statements were detailed in the police affidavit. Rodney now faces a charge of battery on a person 65 years of age or older with evidence of prejudice. He is being held on a $25,000 bond amount.
The Lauderhill Police Department reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a peaceful and diverse community following the attack. "In light of this incident, it is reminded that we continuously strive to encourage a community that retains and promotes improved quality of life, where people of diverse cultural backgrounds peacefully interrelate," they stated in a press release. The department also encourages anyone with information regarding the attack to contact them at 954-497-4700 or notify Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 (TIPS).
