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Florida family attacked, stabbed by intruder in home, deputies say
A Brevard County family is speaking out after they say a hit-and-run suspect broke into their home demanding a car. When the didn't comply, he grabbed a kitchen knife, harming a woman and her son, a arrest affidavit said. The woman said she doesn't feel safe.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida mom is speaking out after an intruder broke into her home and stabbed her and her son after they refused to give him car keys, deputies say.
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said the suspect took two knives from the family's kitchen, cutting the woman's hand and her son's neck.
The mom described the horrifying moment, telling FOX 35's Esther Bower she is recovering from the terrifying ordeal.
What we know:
According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect – later identified as 31-year-old Jadarius West of Orlando – entered the home through a sliding glass door on the back porch after crashing into a chain link fence that led into the backyard. The residents told deputies that West was yelling and demanding keys to a vehicle. When they refused him, he grabbed two butcher knives from the kitchen, the arrest affidavit said.
The mom had a minor cut to her right palm and her son, who deputies saw holding a napkin to his neck, had an inch-sized gash under his ear, a probable cause affidavit said. A third person inside the home was not injured, but fell on the floor when trying to get out of the home, deputies said.
Ambush incident begins with hit-and-run: Officials
Authorities with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol responded to a reported hit-and-run on Interstate 95 involving a silver Subaru around 3:30 p.m., July 29, when they received reports of a vehicle crashing into an occupied home.
West, who had barricaded himself in the master bedroom when authorities arrived, broke a window and surrendered to deputies on the scene, the sheriff's office said.
What they're saying:
"I don't feel safe anymore," the victim told Bower.
She said she held up her hands when he spun around, then he stabbed her in the hand.
Deputies said the woman's son was transported to the hospital for treatment.
West was also transported to a medical center and was medically cleared before being taken to jail, deputies said.
What's next:
West is being held in jail without bond.
The Source: This story was written based on information provided by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol on August 1, 2026. FOX 35's Esther Bower's reporting also contributed to this story.