#JusticeForJacob: Wisconsin teen batters friend till his mouth bleeds as girlfriends cheer in Snapchat video
EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN: Hundreds of social media users on Sunday, May 24, shared the hashtag #JusticeForJacob after a Snapchat video emerged of four teens being involved in the brutal beating of another teenager, identified as Jacob, who was later hospitalized.
Multiple Snapchat videos were uploaded on social media on May 21, 2020, showing an inebriated Jacob being beaten for hours for allegedly stealing a vape pen and narcotics from them. The videos caused an outrage, with several people reporting them to the police. The Eau Claire Police Department in Wisconsin reportedly received a complaint and initiated a probe into the incident, which led to the arrest of the four teenagers involved in the crime.
Police said that a "defenseless male" was being beaten by another male, while three females involved in the incident encouraged the assault. The main aggressor, identified as 18-year-old Chase Passon, was contacted by police and he admitted to the assault. Passon was arrested and is reportedly being charged with battery, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping, and possession of MDMA, according to WQOW.
The three females were identified as Ruby Jimenez-Nevarez, 18, Alexis Strenke, 18 and a female juvenile. All of them were charged with battery. It was reported that although the juvenile's name was not revealed, she is in the juvenile court system. Multiple people have also launched a petition, urging authorities to try her as an adult, citing that she was the one to take the video of the assault and post it on social media.
One Twitter user wrote: "#JusticeForJacob I hate this world & some of the people in it more & more every minute. This broke my heart & pissed me off. I pray they get tried as adults because how can you do something like that to a human being? I pray Jacob survives & lives a long&happy life!!#JusticeForJacob"
"If she wanna act like an adult engaging in underaged drinking and drug use, then she sure as hell should be charged as one. Along with this she used racial slurs and enabled abhorrent abuse while FILMING it. hold all the culprits accountable #justiceforjacob," another user wrote referring to the juvenile.
Reports claim that after they battered Jacob, they drove the bloodied teen to his grandmother's house and threw him out of the car there. He was later rushed to the hospital and is believed to be recovering. A GoFundMe page was also set up to raise funds for his medical treatment, which has raised twice its goal. Over $12,000 have been raised of $5,000 goal. There was initially a rumor doing the round that Jacob had suffered brain damage, but officials have denied the reports.
Although police did not reveal the details of his condition, according to the criminal report, Passon admitted that Jacob was bleeding from the mouth when he last saw him. When authorities reached the hospital where Jacob was admitted, they found him unconscious with swollen and bloody lips.
Passon was reportedly handed a $2,500 signature bond. Reports state that if he is convicted on all the charges against him, he could spend over 14 years in prison. While Jimenez-Nevarez and Strenke are set to make their first court appearance on August 12.