Ravizza had a history of conspiratorial thinking prior to stabbings

Jared Ravizza was arrested Saturday after allegedly stabbing a group of four girls at a Braintree movie theater and two McDonald’s employees in Plymouth, then crashing a Porsche SUV in a police chase.

Ravizza, a 26-year-old Martha’s Vineyard resident, will be arraigned Tuesday in Plymouth District Court on multiple charges, including assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. 

State Police in Connecticut are also eyeing Ravizza in connection to a stabbing death in Deep River, Connecticut, The Boston Globe reported.

Officials have not released a motive for the weekend assaults, but Ravizza had recently shared fears to police regarding a bevy of conspiracy theories. 

On April 14 of this year, his father, Jason Ravizza, called Chilmark Police to the family’s West Tisbury home. He claimed his son had attacked him and suspected Ravizza was having a mental health episode, according to a police report. Jared Ravizza was “frothing” at the mouth when officers arrived, screamed at officers to “cuff me,” then resisted arrest, police said. Ravizza then allegedly insisted officers listen to numerous conspiracy theories while he flipped through photos in his phone. 

Ravizza’s conspiracies apparently involved the Kennedy family, the Freemasons, the Illuminati, “some sort of a crime family his mother was part of,” Barack Obama’s chef, “the Deep State,” Satan worshipers, Jeffery Epstein currently living “on island” in Martha’s Vineyard, and that Ravizza’s family “helped start the country” with John Quincy Adams, among other theories, according to the report. 

Ravizza allegedly claimed he feared for his life, believed he was going to be killed by one of these entities, and stated that officers would later have to “fish him out of the harbor” and then they’d “know he was right,” according to the report.

Ravizza was charged with assault and battery on a family or household member and vandalism in April, according to The Boston Globe. Ravizza had been sent to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for a mental health evaluation but “did not meet their standards to be held,” according to court filings obtained by the Globe.

Witnesses reportedly described the suspect in the stabbings as wearing a trenchcoat and wig, but residents told MVTimes the long blond hair was Ravizza’s own. Around Martha’s Vineyard, Ravizza was known for his erratic and sometimes hostile public behavior, his fondness for yoga, and aviator sunglasses, and boasts that he was a model, according to the local news outlet. 

In December 2021, Ravizza told the MVTimes he assisted people with disabilities through the “Ravizza Global Initiative.” Ravizza has also claimed to be a “media mogul” and professional skier in a handful of websites featuring images of expensive cars and Ravizza, who often appears tan and shirtless in photos. A company, Ravizza Jones Productions LLC, is listed to Jared Ravizza’s name and home address according to the Secretary of State, but it’s unclear at this time if Ravizza’s professional, athletic, or philanthropic claims are founded. 

An Instagram account apparently linked to the suspect also lists Ravizza as an artist. The profile reads “she.” Ravizza previously identified as male in interviews, Ravizza’s company website, and police reports. It’s also unclear if the stabbing suspect currently prefers female pronouns. 

The victims of the stabbing at AMC Braintree were four girls, ages 9-17, attending a screening for the John Krasinski film “If.” Lisa Dembowski, the mother of three of the victims, told reporters the assailant was laughing as he carried out the attack.  

Authorities say Ravizza drove to a Plymouth McDonald’s, and stabbed a 28-year-old male employee at the drive-through. Ravizza then allegedly parked the vehicle, entered the restaurant, and stabbed a 21-year-old female employee, then absconded again.  

Witnesses to the McDonald’s attack took down the assailant’s license plate number, according to a statement from the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office. Massachusetts State Police then linked the 2018 Macan to Ravizza, tracked him down, and pursued the suspect in a chase, the Globe reported. 

The pursuit came to an abrupt end on Cotuit Road in Sandwich, where Ravizza apparently crashed and the vehicle caught fire. He was taken to South Shore Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Ravizza was held without bail Monday after he was released from the hospital, according to the Plymouth district attorney’s office.

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