Father Shares Harrowing Account After Son’s Throat Slashed by Stranger in Shocking Attack

The family of Sullivan Clarke, a 13-year-old who survived a harrowing attack, is speaking out about the traumatic incident in which his throat was slashed.

“When we saw what had happened, his neck was cut open,” recounted Jerod Clarke, Sullivan’s father, in an interview with Fox 35. “The wound was so deep, we could see down to the tissue.”

The distressing event took place on February 14 as Sullivan and his parents were enjoying a walk near the Daytona Beach Pier in Florida. According to Fox 35, a man approached them and allegedly attacked Sullivan, slashing his throat. Eyewitnesses reported to the police that the assailant used an item resembling a box cutter before fleeing the scene, as detailed in an affidavit reviewed by Oxygen.

At the time of the attack, Sullivan was a short distance away from his parents, talking on his phone. His mother, Lori Clarke, initially thought the man intended to steal Sullivan’s phone.

“The moment he attacked,” Lori told the news outlet, “I shouted, ‘Hey!'”

Thankfully, at the time of the attack, Sullivan was looking up at an amusement park ride, a position that helped him avoid a more serious injury. 

“The doctor told him, one millimeter deep,” Jerod told the station, “and we’d be having a different conversation.” 

Jermaine Lynn Long, 44, was arrested for aggravated battery, according to the affidavit, after police found him near an overpass on the pier, with a black boxcutter and a silver knife. 

During a police interview cited in the affidavit, Jermaine said he “put his hands on” the teen but would not admit to cutting him with an edged weapon. Jermaine entered a plea of not guilty, according to court records reviewed by Oxygen.  

Surveillance video cited in the affidavit also captured a man who resembled Jermaine slashing the neck of the victim in a horizontal manner. 

Jermaine was booked into the Volusia County Division of Corrections on a $50,000 bail. Jermaine’s next court date is March 10. An attorney for Jermaine did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.