An unsettling incident occurred inside the home on Lakeview Circle in Agawam, Mass., during the height of pandemic lockdowns, leaving neighbors speculating if something may have triggered a disturbing transformation in Jared Ravizza, reminiscent of a horror movie villain.
Neighbors noted a strange change in behavior in Jared’s father, Jason, as well.
The 26-year-old is accused of going on a stabbing spree last weekend, attacking four young girls watching the movie “IF” at a theater outside Boston, and two more individuals at a McDonald’s.
“Jared and Jason got very bizarre,” a next-door neighbor commented on the accused stabber and his 57-year-old father. “Something drastic took place during Covid. I don’t know what happened inside the house.”
In photos taken just a few years ago on Martha’s Vineyard, Ravizza appeared as a clean-cut preppy individual.
However, when he was arrested after the stabbing incident at the theater in suburban Braintree, Mass., Jared’s appearance drew comparisons to Buffalo Bill, a fictional serial killer from the movie “Silence of the Lambs.”
Ravizza allegedly laughed while attacking the girls, aged 9 to 17. A witness to the McDonald’s attack described Ravizza as having a chilling expression akin to Jack Nicholson’s character in “The Shining.”
He is also suspected of attacking his roommate, Bruce Feldman, although no charges have been filed yet. The roommates shared a vacation rental in Deep River, Conn., and Feldman was tragically stabbed to death along with two dogs.
Neighbors clarified that the roommates were not romantically involved.
Jared and his psychologist father abruptly left their Agawam home two years ago, relocating to Martha’s Vineyard. Jared’s mother, Kim, remained behind, reportedly battling cancer and having to rent out rooms after their departure.
The younger Ravizza was previously arrested on Martha’s Vineyard for reportedly attacking his father. Jason stated that his son had a “mental break.”
What to know about Massachusetts stabbing spree suspect Jared Ravizza
According to court records, Jared assaulted his father and caused damage to his office during a previous incident. Witnesses reported that he displayed alarming behavior and aggression.
Residents of Martha’s Vineyard recounted several disturbing interactions with Jared in public settings, describing him as quick to anger and unpredictable. Concerns about his potential for violence led two individuals to contact the police.
Neighbors in Agawam observed a significant change in both Jason and Jared during the pandemic. Jared’s Instagram account showed a transformation from a clean-cut, preppy appearance to a more eccentric, surfer-like style with bleached hair, makeup, and jewelry.
One neighbor mentioned that both father and son started to resemble each other as they adopted similar long blond hair and flashy teeth.
“Their appearance was like they should be living in California or Hawaii, not Massachusetts,” one neighbor shared. “Eventually you couldn’t tell father and son apart from a distance.”
Another neighbor mentioned that the father-son duo had a close relationship and shared a passion for fitness activities, often seen walking together and sunbathing.
Despite this, Ravizza recently filed paperwork in Massachusetts to legally change his name to Jared Love Jones.
Jason Ravizza returned home to his wife, Kim, as suddenly as he left about two weeks ago, neighbors in Agawam said.
“Jared’s a weirdo,” one of the three neighbors told The Post, adding that he and Jason are “different, that’s for sure.”
According to his own website, Jared Ravizza portrayed himself as a wealthy, globetrotting “serial entrepreneur,” artist, model and skier who was the CEO of “Ravizza Jones,” a “leading global digital marketing & social media management agency” with branches in Beverly Hills, Malibu, Manhattan, Greenwich, Palm Beach, Paris and Milan.
There’s no evidence of the Ravizza Jones company anywhere other than on Ravizza’s website, which is fronted by a photo of the harbor at Monaco. A gushing profile in Beverly Hills magazine described Ravizza as an international “serial entrepreneur and media mogul,” and “a man with an innate desire to bring out the best in other humans in the most beautiful way.”
An article in ThriveGlobal — a website founded by Arianna Huffington — described Jared three times as a “professional big mountain skier,” although there does not seem to be any other record of him as a pro skier.
A designer and model told The Post that she had an unsettling run-in with Ravizza at the Beverly Hills Hotel in April.
Alyona Shikhova, 30, was holding a photoshoot for her Ashik clothing brand on April 14 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, when, she said, Ravizza talked his way onto her shoot and began hitting on her — proposing almost immediately and suggesting they should have kids together.
“He said ‘I’m gonna be a good husband, you’re gonna be my wife,’ Shikhova said. “I think he liked me and he was used to getting what he wanted.”
She claimed that Ravizza started to brag about his wealth, showing her pictures of him and his father, with whom he said he had just been on a vacation in Hawaii. He also showed off different houses he claimed to own around the world.
For his part, Jason Ravizza is listed as a licensed mental health counselor who has held positions as a counselor at Springfield, Mass., public schools as well as Crosspoint Clinical, a mental health counseling organization specializing in “faith-based care.”
A devout Christian, Jason also co-authored a 2011 book, “The Waging War Within: A Devotional for Winning the Daily War,” which focused on “the realm of spiritual warfare and the strategies to counter the attacks of Satan.” He has a small publishing company for religious books called Abba Father Media.
In a second, separate LinkedIn profile, he calls himself “president” of Ravizza Sports Psychology. Like his son, Jason has presented himself as a high-flying international success story.
In that profile, Jason claims to be “a highly trained performance & psychology consultant, training the minds of athletes & entrepreneurs, at the highest of levels for the past 35+ years. Jason is the President & Founder of Ravizza Sports Psychology, consulting both within the United States and globally. From London, over into the the eastern sea board on Martha’s Vineyard, to Los Angeles.”
Ravizza Sports Psychology does not appear to exist as a functioning entity.
Jason may or may not be related to the LA-based Dr. Ken Ravizza, who, until his death in 2018 at 70, was considered one of the leading sports psychologists in the nation. Dr. Ravizza was described as a “guru of sorts for dozens of major league baseball players.”
Jason left a note of condolence on Dr. Ravizza’s obituary, referring to him as his “uncle.”
Dr. Ravizza’s website includes a disclaimer reading “The Ravizza family does not endorse any use of the Ravizza name for sport psychology or social media services. Anyone using the Ravizza name for these services is not affiliated with Ken Ravizza.”
Dr. Ravizza’s widow, Clare, did not return calls from The Post.
Tuesday, Jared Ravizza pleaded not guilty in Plymouth District Court to two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to murder, and other charges and was ordered to be held for a mental health evaluation.
He is in custody at Bridgewater State Hospital, a medium-security facility for male patients that is surrounded by high fences and multiple coils of barbed wire.
Neither he nor his father were reachable for comment.
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