Surveillance video captured a terrifying and apparent late-night random act of violence in Ohio, where a knife-wielding man allegedly told a homeowner he intended to kill him “in the name of Allah.”
The harrowing encounter, which unfolded in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning in Warren County, was just one of three violent incidents authorities say the suspect carried out during a chilling spree that rattled the community.
Authorities later identified the suspect as 23-year-old Anthony Long, who was arrested and charged shortly after the reported confrontations.
According to footage capturing one of the encounters, the suspect appeared to pray in the family’s driveway before approaching the home multiple times, prompting an alarmed father to eventually step outside.
Tiffany Miller, the mother of the family, shared the frightening ordeal on social media Monday, describing it as a “deeply frightening and dangerous situation” that could have turned deadly.
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The incident began when the suspect reportedly drove into the family’s driveway with his headlights off, Miller said.
Surveillance footage from the home then appeared to show the man kneeling in the driveway and praying before approaching the home.
Long first knocked on the front door, but received no response as the family was asleep, Miller said.
Minutes later, he returned, pounding on the door even louder in a second, more aggressive attempt.
Miller said the family woke up expecting their daughter to return home, but were shocked to find a stranger at their door in the middle of the night.
“I woke up and walked up thinking my daughter was locked out and, nope, it wasn’t her,” she said. “It was a man I didn’t know. We did not respond, and again he went back to his car.”
The man reportedly remained in his parked car as one of the family’s daughters finally arrived home, prompting Miller’s husband to go outside and confront the suspect.
“Hey bud, you knocking on the door?” the father, Andy, was heard asking.
“I’ll kill you in the name of Allah,” the suspect immediately replied.
The alarmed father then began retreating while shouting for their daughter to drive away.
Miller said the suspect then pulled a knife on Andy, attempted to approach the home again, and ultimately drove off in pursuit of the daughter, who had already fled the scene.
“The man immediately exited his vehicle, began making explicit threats to kill him, repeatedly invoking religious language, and started moving closer in an aggressive manner,” Miller said.
The Clearcreek Township Police Department reported that Long then “aggressively” followed a separate victim by car just minutes after the initial altercation.
According to the complaint, he allegedly chased the victim for an extended period, at times ramming the man’s vehicle and nearly striking him.
When the victim eventually drove to the police department, Long allegedly continued trying to strike him with his car in the station’s parking lot.
As responding officers moved to detain him, they ordered Long to exit the vehicle and discovered a pink folding pocketknife concealed beneath his leg.
In a third, separate incident that same day, authorities said Long also aggressively followed a family driving on a highway, according to a report from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
When the driver confronted him, Long allegedly pulled out an unopened pocketknife and threatened, “I’m going to kill you in the name of Allah.”
The suspect eventually backed off after the victim pushed him away several times.
Investigators have not yet determined a motive, according to official documents.
No one was reported injured in any of the three incidents.
Long was booked into the Warren County Jail, according to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
Long faces four charges, including aggravated menacing, trespassing and criminal damage, all classified as misdemeanors of varying degrees.
He is also facing multiple bail amounts totaling more than $75,000, most of which must be paid in cash.
