(JTA) — An Ohio man facing federal charges for threatening a Jewish community center on social media must stay in jail as he awaits trial because he remains a threat to the community, a judge ruled.
James Reardon, 20, of New Middletown was denied bail and will remain in Mahoning County jail, the Youngstown NBC affiliate WFMJ reported. Reardon threatened the Youngstown JCC in mid-August with a video posted on Instagram.
The Jewish community is not safe from Reardon, District Court Judge Patricia Gaughan, said in her ruling Tuesday.
Reardon was indicted last month in on two counts in U.S. District Court for using a firearm while making threats against the Youngstown JCC. He pleaded not guilty in August to charges of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing in municipal court in Struthers, near Youngstown.
In the video, Reardon is seen shooting an assault rifle accompanied by the sounds of sirens and screams. Underneath, Reardon added the caption “Police identify shooter of Youngstown Jewish Family Center as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon,” one of his pseudonyms. The Youngstown JCC was tagged in the post.
A search of his home found assault weapons, extra ammunition and a gas mask, as well as anti-Semitic and white nationalist propaganda. He attended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
