A blond knifeman who traveled through Massachusetts is believed to be the wealthy son of a successful mental health doctor living in Martha’s Vineyard.
Police began the hunt for 26-year-old Jared Ravizza after four girls, ages 9 to 17, were stabbed Saturday around 6 p.m. by a knifeman who was “laughing the entire time” as he attacked them at an AMC multiplex in Braintree.
A 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were stabbed at a McDonald’s in Plymouth an hour later, 30 miles away, before police caught up with Ravizza when he crashed his Porsche in Sandwich.
Massachusetts law enforcement sources told Boston25 that Ravizza was also the man they were looking for after a body was found at a Deep River vacation rental on Saturday afternoon.
The former UMass student claimed to run a “leading global digital marketing and social media management agency” with offices in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, Paris and Naples.
But friends from his former college lacrosse team told Dailymail.com they simply remembered him as “weird.”
Ravizza boasts a “leading global digital marketing and social media management agency” with offices in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, Paris and Naples
He was arrested after the girls, aged between 9 and 17, were stabbed at an AMC multiplex in Braintree, and a 21-year-old woman and 29-year-old man were stabbed at a McDonald’s in Plymouth.
“He only went to school with us for one semester and then disappeared off the face of the earth,” said Jay Gallipo.
“He was a social media influencer, it was a joke with us at the time.
‘The only person he was close to was his sister Kate. He was very nice, but a bit strange.’
Ravizza has lived on the island, home to politicians and celebrities, for three years and was often seen in the company of a man he introduced as his father, according to the Martha’s Vineyard Times.
The family lives in a $565,000 home in the western Massachusetts town of Agawam, where his father lives Jason Ravizza works as a certified spiritual counselor.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate is a certified school principal who has focused on working with young people “with attention to the whole person and helping to unlock each person’s full potential as a human being,” according to a biography.
In December 2021, the younger Ravizza was profiled by the MV times and claimed to run a charity organization called Ravizza Global Initiative.
He said his family had a long history of visiting the area, and vaguely explained the goals of his initiative.
Ravizza has amassed 218,000 followers on his Instagram page which uses the pronoun ‘they’
He describes himself as an ‘artist, professional model, skier and social entrepreneur’
Ravizza with his father Jason, who has a Masters in Education and is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Massachusetts
“We spend a lot of time on the Vineyard, in Massachusetts, and I just want people to know how accessible I am,” he said.
“I look at it as a movement and a lifestyle, and an initiative that we do to change people’s lives, to inspire people. It’s a lifelong connection, a lifelong relationship, being there, being a mentor.”
Ravizza senior helps “unlock the full potential of every person as a human being,” according to a biography
In the aftermath of his arrest, the newspaper spoke to residents who recalled a series of “bizarre and hostile interactions in public settings,” including at a local yoga studio.
Ravizza successfully petitioned the local court in Dukes County last month to change his name from Jared Christian Ravizza Jones to Jared Love Jones.
Previously, he had amassed a series of glowing profiles on obscure news websites, including snowmag.com and beverlyhillsmagazine.com.
“Jared Ravizza is more than just a media mogul and serial entrepreneur. He is an American professional model and skier,” one read.
“Most importantly, he is a family-oriented man who spends quality time kiteboarding, surfing and playing tennis with his family in his spare time.”
Ravizza describes himself as an “artist” on his Instagram page, which has amassed 218,000 followers and where he uses the pronoun “she.”
Posts from six years ago show a conventional-looking young man who occasionally received comments from friends.
The family lives in a comfortable $565,000 home in Agawam, Massachusetts
Instagram photos from six years ago show a relaxed young man in his comfortable surroundings
He had been accepted for a social science degree at UMass, majoring in health professions
More recent shots are full of alcohol and drug paraphernalia
Four years later he returned to the venue with a muscular new look, posing on the beach and with his artwork, driving a series of Porsche cars and showing off drug paraphernalia.
He wears lipstick and makeup in later posts, the most recent of which was uploaded just hours before the knife attack.
The cinema in Braintree was almost empty when the girls arrived for a screening of the children’s film ‘IF’ starring Ryan Reynolds.
The attacker entered without purchasing a ticket and said nothing as he launched his attack on the girls, wearing what an employee thought was “an oversized trench coat, sunglasses and a long blonde wig.”
“They were the only four people in this movie theater,” said Lisa Dembowski, mother of two of the girls WCVB 5.
‘They had just sat down. They had just gotten their concessions.
I think he got in line behind them – they were in the second row – and he got behind them.
“My oldest leaned over to grab something. He got her in the back and then my other daughter at the top of the chest.
“Then my last daughter crossed her arm – laughing the whole time – and then grabbed their friend and ran.”
The girls were taken to Boston-area hospitals where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries as police hunted for the attacker who drove away in a black Porsche.
The young couple at McDonald’s also escaped with non-life-threatening injuries, despite being attacked with a 10-inch knife.
Ravizza is said to have spent a few weeks at the Deep River holiday home with a male companion, and neighbors heard arguing from the house.
Police found a body at 3:36 PM on Saturday after reports of a disturbance.
On his social media pages he can be seen driving a range of high-end cars, including this Porsche
He was taken to hospital with minor injuries after crashing his Porsche during a police chase
“A lot of police cars showed up and they barricaded it, it looked like a little ambush down there at first,” said neighbor Charlie Brashears Boston25.
“They had backed both cars into two of my neighbors, and they were standing on the hood. I don’t know if they had weapons or not, but they stood on the hood, and eventually they just barricaded the area.
“It’s hard to wrap your brain around it.”
Ravizza will appear in Plymouth District Court on Tuesday charged with assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Police in Connecticut have not yet announced charges in connection with Dep River’s murder, but are no longer looking for a suspect.