Mass stabbing suspect in court as his privileged background is revealed and his ties to murder case uncovered
Jared Ravizza, 26, of Chilmark, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon
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A Martha’s Vineyard man accused a stabbing spree at a movie theater and a McDonald’s in Massachusetts over the weekend is also a suspect in a homicide investigation in Deep River, Connecticut.
Jared Ravizza, 26, of Chilmark, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard, was wearing a green jail jumpsuit when he appeared in Plymouth District Court on Tuesday where he was arraigned on two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to murder, and indecent exposure in connection with the stabbings of two employees at a McDonald’s on Saturday.
He is scheduled to be arraigned later on Tuesday in Quincy District Court on four counts of assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection to the stabbings of the four girls at an AMC movie theater that happened just an hour earlier than the McDonald’s attack.
Ravizza undergo a court-ordered examination to see if he is competent to stand trial. Judge Shelby Smith ordered the examination before determining his bail
Prosecutors say Ravizza’s rampage began around 6pm Saturday when he walked into the AMC Braintree 10 without paying and stabbed several girls “without saying anything and without any warning,” before fleeing the scene, the Braintree Police Department said in a news release.
The four girls, ages nine to 17, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospitals.
Ravizza’s rampage continued about an hour later, and 27 miles south of the theater, where his black Porsche was captured on surveillance footage leaving a McDonald’s after another stabbing, according to the district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors say Ravizza “briefly stepped out of the vehicle and publicly urinated” outside the McDonald’s.
Ravizza moved up to the drive-thru window and became argumentative with a male employee. Ravizza allegedly lunged out the window of the car and stabbed the worker in the forearm with what appeared to be a long kitchen knife, the prosecutor said.
The employee said that Ravizza ordered food and yelled at him to “check the bag,” before paying for it, according to a police affidavit. The employee removed the items and put them back in the bag. He said Ravizza attempted to grab the bag, and then as the employee pulled it back, Ravizza took out a knife and stabbed him.
The prosecutor said Ravizza then parked his car, entered the McDonald’s and went behind the counter. Ravizza then allegedly stabbed a female employee in the back of her upper left arm. Both workers were taken to hospitals and are in stable condition.
Ravizza was apprehended following a police pursuit into the Cape Cod town of Sandwich. Ravizza crashed and the car became engulfed in flames, the prosecutor said.
Shortly after Ravizza’s initial appearance in court on Saturday, Connecticut State Police said they were investigating the same Jared Ravizza in the death of a West Hartford man, Bruce Feldman, whose body was found at a home in Deep River on Saturday.
Police said they received a report from someone on Merriwold Lane that an individual - later identified as Ravizza - had thrown a shovel through their front door. They recognized the person as a man who had stayed at a home nearby on Maritone Lane.
When police responded to the house, they found the body of 70-year-old Bruce Feldman.
Police found items belonging to Ravizza at the Maritone Lane home, and his appearance was consistent with witnesses’ descriptions.
Neighbors told local news outlet WTNH that Bruce had been staying with Ravizza at the Deep River home and was known to walk around with his pet poodle, sometimes sitting on the neighbors’ porches without permission.
Police were initially called for the “disturbance,” and when Ravizza found out, he “picked up a shovel, went down to their house and threw it at their window,” neighbor Charlie Brashears said.
“This is like the weirdest stuff we’ve been around,” Brashears. added. “This is like 1970s Scorsese Taxi Driver stuff.”
Neighbors told the New York Post they believed Bruce’s poodle had also been found dead inside the home, though authorities have not yet confirmed it.
The investigation in Deep River is active and ongoing, police said.
Ravizza reportedly moved to the neighborhood after he was arrested on Martha’s Vineyard in April for allegedly attacking his father, according to court records.
Ravizza’s father, Jason Ravizza, a psychologist, reportedly told officers at the time that his son “had just had a mental break and attacked him” inside his home, according to the police report.
He was charged with assault and battery on a family or household member, and vandalism, according to the report that also noted that Ravizza had been “frothing” at the mouth as he spoke of “nonsensical” things, including a string of conspiracy theories.
Ravizza, a self-described artist and social media influencer, has an array of selfies on his Instagram account that boasts 218,000 followers.
He is known for his signature long blond hair, a penchant for wearing aviator sunglasses, and frequent claims that he was a model in Los Angeles, the Martha’s Vineyard Times reported.
The former Martha’s Vineyard resident claimed in 2021 to be running a charitable organization called Ravizza Global Initiative.
“We spend a lot of time on the Vineyard, in Massachusetts, and I just want people to know the accessibility to me … I also hope this story will inspire someone to start an initiative of their own,” he told the Martha’s Vineyard Times, describing the area that is home to many weathly celebrities, politicians and socialites.
“For us, it’s not like a program. I look at it as a movement and lifestyle … It’s a lifelong connection, lifelong relationship, being there, being a mentor.”
Several locals told the outlet that Ravizza had developed a reputation on the island for bizarre and hostile interactions in public settings – and that he was quick to anger and often seemed unhinged.