NASSAU COUNTY, Florida – A 20-year-old man has been arrested after authorities say he got on a plane and flew from New Jersey to Florida to attack a man he had been in a dispute with over an online game.
“This is a weird one,” said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. “Some things make you say ‘hmmmm.’ Some things you just can’t make up.”
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Leeper said around 2 a.m. Sunday, deputies responded to a home in Fernandina Beach after they received a call about a fight between two people.
“They discovered a significant amount of blood in the entryway of the home and the victim’s bedroom,” Leeper said.
The victim’s stepfather told authorities he was awakened by screams for help and found his stepson on the ground struggling with an attacker, identified as Edward Kang.
Leeper said Kang had walked into the unlocked home and attacked the victim with a hammer.
The victim and his stepfather managed to disarm Kang and restrain him until deputies arrived.
Leeper said Kang and the victim had never met in person, but were acquaintances through the online game Archeage, a fantasy-based online game similar to World of Warcraft.
Investigators discovered Kang had told his family he was going to meet a friend he had met years ago on a video game. He then got on a flight from Newark, New Jersey to Jacksonville, Florida where he took an Uber to a hotel in Fernandina Beach. He then went to an Ace Hardware store and bought a hammer and a flashlight.
Leeper said the victim was playing the game that night when he got up to use the restroom. He walked down the hallway and opened the door. Kang was standing there behind the door with the hammer raised in the air. He was wearing all black with gloves and a mask.
Both Kang and the victim were taken to the hospital where Kang was later released into law enforcement custody.
“The victim had some severe head wounds, but it appears to be non-life threatening,” Leeper said.
Leeper said Kang told authorities he attacked the victim, because the victim was a bad person online.
“In addition the suspect asked our deputy how much time in jail do you get for breaking and entering and assault and I would say Mr. Kang, it’s going to be a long time before you play video games again,” Leeper said.
Kang has been charged with attempted second-degree murder.