NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — A New Jersey man who traveled to Florida and attacked a fellow online gamer with a hammer inside the victim’s home has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to a violent felony charge.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced that Edward Kang pleaded guilty to Armed Burglary with Assault or Battery in connection with the June 2024 attack.
Under a negotiated plea agreement, Circuit Judge Meredith Charbula sentenced Kang to four years in Florida State Prison followed by 10 years of probation with special conditions.
According to prosecutors, Kang left his home in New Jersey on June 20, 2024, and flew to Jacksonville with the intention of confronting a man he knew only through online interactions while playing a video game.
Authorities said the two men had never met in person.
After arriving in Florida, Kang rented a hotel room in Nassau County. On June 23, 2024, he broke into the victim’s home during the night while armed with a hammer.
Investigators said the victim was awake and playing an online game when he left his room to use the bathroom. There, he encountered Kang, who attacked him with the hammer.
The victim fought back during the assault. His stepfather, awakened by the disturbance, rushed to assist and helped restrain Kang until law enforcement officers arrived.
According to court records, Kang told the victim’s stepfather that the victim was a “bad person online.”
The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the attack.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant State Attorney Karl Green prosecuted the case on behalf of the State Attorney’s Office.