Florida gamer survives hammer attack inside his home by man he met online: ‘This is a weird one’

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. - An online altercation led to real-life attempted murder charges after deputies say a New Jersey man flew to Florida, snuck into the home of a person he met online, and attacked him with a hammer in the middle of the night. 

"This is a weird one," Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said during a press conference. "Some things make you say hmmm. Some things you just can’t make up. There are some things that make you say, ‘What in the world was he thinking?’ There are some things that make you say, ‘You’re not going to believe this.’ Well, this case makes you say all four of those."

Sheriff Leeper says Edward Kang, 20, hopped on a plane from Newark, New Jersey to Jacksonville, Florida, late Friday night. 

Upon landing, Kang, according to Leeper, grabbed an Uber and checked into a hotel on Fernandina Beach around 2 a.m. on Saturday. 

Leeper said Kang went to an area hardware store and purchased a hammer and a flashlight.

Around 2 a.m. on Sunday, armed with his new hammer, Kang entered the home of a gamer he met online through an unlocked door unbeknownst to the victim, according to the sheriff. 

Leeper said that the victim was playing video games late Saturday night, into Sunday morning, and took a break to go to the bathroom. 

"Once he opened the door, he noticed the suspect standing with a hammer raised in the air in an anticipated strike position," Leeper stated. "The suspect was wearing all black, gloves and a mask."

The sheriff said both the suspect and the victim were struggling, and the victim wrestled the suspect to the ground.

Sheriff Leeper said Kang bought a hammer in Florida before the attack. Image is courtesy of the Nassau County Sheriff's Office. 

He added that while the two were fighting, the victim’s stepfather woke up to screams. When he saw what was happening, he and his stepson disarmed Kang and held him until deputies arrived.

"He broke into the victim’s home late at night to, what we believe, kill the victim," Leeper said. 

Kang and the victim were taken to an area hospital for medical treatment. 

Officials said once Kang was treated and released, he was taken into custody. 

When the suspect was asked why he did what he did, he replied, "He is a bad person online."

While the sheriff noted that Kang is not cooperating with investigators and has requested legal counsel, he did say that Kang asked a deputy how much time you get for breaking and entering and assault. 

Investigators say Edward Kang flew from New Jersey to Florida and attacked a gamer he met online with a hammer. Image is courtesy of the Nassau County Sheriff's Office. 

"I would say, Mr. Kang, it’s going to be a long time before you play video games again," Leeper said. 

Leeper went on to say that he is not exactly sure what happened between Kang and the victim but said the pair, who never met in real life before the hammer attack, had some type of an altercation online. 

"Apparently, this video game is something that you can name characters, you can fight other characters and kill them, and I don’t know what transpired between the victim and the suspect, but something made the suspect want to come down to Florida and injure the individual," Leeper shared.

Leeper said he doesn’t know how old the victim is but told reporters that he is about the same age as the suspect. 

He added that the victim suffered non-life-threatening head injuries in the attack and has been released from the hospital. 

Kang has been charged with second-degree murder, but Leeper said more charges may be filed. 

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