Student attacks school employee after Nintendo Switch taken away

By CNN Newsource

Published February 25, 2023 1:51 PM

By Paradise Afshar and Rebekah Riess, CNN

A Florida high school student has been arrested after a video showed him attacking a school employee after she took away his Nintendo Switch device, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

The Matanzas High School student has been charged with felony aggravated battery with bodily harm, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The 17-year-old was taken into custody after the February 21 incident in Palm Coast and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. He was then turned over to the state Department of Juvenile Justice, according to the news release.

According to an arrest report, the teen stated he was upset because the employee had taken his Nintendo Switch device away and he would “beat her up” every time she took away his game.

Joan Naydich was identified as the employee who was attacked, her husband, Alexander Naydich, confirmed to CNN.

Surveillance video shows the student, who the sheriff’s office says is about 6 feet, 6 inches tall and about 270 pounds, running toward Naydich and knocking her to the ground.

Naydich appears motionless as the student punches and kicks her several times before onlookers pulled him away from her.

Naydich was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

“The actions of this student are absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled-for,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the release. “We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident. Thankfully, students and staff members came to the victim’s aid before the [school resource deputies] could arrive. Our schools should be a safe place — for both employees and students.”

The arrest report said the teen was “becoming violent” while speaking to them after the incident and had to be taken to another location.

“Creating a safe learning and working environment on our campuses is critical. Violence is never an appropriate reaction,” Flagler County Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt said in the sheriff’s office’s media release.

Flagler County Schools on Saturday said out of respect for their employee’s privacy, it would not comment on her medical condition at this time.

CNN left a phone message with the family of the student but has not heard back.

CNN’s Isabel Rosales contributed to this report.