Atlantic Ocean

Florida Man Arrested for Allegedly Throwing Son Into Atlantic Ocean, Yelling at Him to Swim

What to Know

  • While in custody, Bloodsworth allegedly told officers he was “going to jail for being awesome” according to an arrest report.

A Florida man found himself behind bars after witnesses say he threw his son into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and allegedly yelled at him to swim – all before walking away from the child.

NBC affiliate WESH-TV reports that John Bloodsworth was charged with child abuse and disorderly intoxication in public. Bloodsworth bonded out of the Volusia County jail on Tuesday.

According to the station, witnesses told police that they saw Bloodsworth’s 5-year-old son struggling in the waters off Daytona Beach while Bloodsworth repeatedly jumped off a nearby pier.

"I said, 'I can't take this no more.' So I went down to the pier, down to the shore and confronted him myself," witness Mitch Brown said. "The little kid was out here by himself. Completely by himself. There was nobody around him, no adults.”

Brown told the station he confronted Bloodsworth, taking the man to a nearby Daytona Beach Police officer, who placed him under arrest.

While in custody, Bloodsworth allegedly told officers he was trying to teach his son to swim while adding that he was “going to jail for being awesome” according to an arrest report.

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