DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A 37-year-old Florida man is accused of throwing his 5-year-old son into the Atlantic Ocean and then doing back flips off a city pier as the boy struggled in the water.
An arrest report says that when Daytona Beach police arrested John Bloodsworth on child abuse charges Monday night, he told them he’d been teaching the boy to swim and that he was “going to jail for being awesome.”
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports lifeguards were off-duty Monday night.
.#daytonabeach man accused of throwing 5 y/o boy in ocean & leaving him there, to teach him to swim. @VolusiaBeach officers arrested John Bloodsworth, who they say was drunk, at Main Street Pier. Witnesses say child cried & struggled while suspect repeatedly jumped off pier. pic.twitter.com/as1nCr3T9c
— claire metz (@clairemetzwesh) July 16, 2019
Witnesses said the boy was treading water while Bloodworth jumped from the pier.
The report says Bloodworth had four to five beers before going to the beach.
The boy was turned over to his mother. Bloodworth was released from jail. A lawyer isn’t listed on jail records.
