A Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a student over a video game console has revealed he spat on her while calling her slurs during the vicious attack.
Joan Naydich, 59, was pounced on in February by 17-year-old Brendan Depa, who towered over her at 6’6 and nearly 270 pounds.
Depa allegedly spat at her and called her a ‘bitch’ and a ‘w***e’ after she told another staff member his Nintendo Switch was distracting other students.
The teen pleaded no contest to an aggravated battery charge. He is awaiting sentencing at the end of the month for the brutal attack that left Naydich with five broken ribs, a concussion and hearing loss.
The mother-of-two said the assault rendered her a ‘totally different person,’ adding: ‘My whole life was just turned upside down.’
Joan Naydich, 59, pictured with her son, was knocked unconscious by a student following a disagreement over a video game console
Brendan Depa, 18, attacked the teacher aide after she told his primary instructor that he was distracting other students with his Nintendo Switch
Surveillance video shows the hulking teen hurling punches and kicks at Naydich, knocking her to the floor. He proceeds to strike her at least a dozen times in the head and back as she lays motionless.
Naydich, originally from Rhode Island, moved to Florida’s Palm Coast and worked in the Flagler County School District beginning in 2003.
She was assigned to the Matanzas High School cafeteria for nearly two decades before pursuing the certifications she needed to become a classroom aide.
Her first encounter with Depa came in January 2022. The autistic teen was in a special needs classroom where Naydich worked alongside the primary teacher.
She learned that Depa was adopted as a young child before being sent to live in a group home and became acutely aware that he was troubled.
‘He would try to intimidate,’ she told the New York Post. ‘But during that school year it never got to the point where he became violent. It was just verbal.’
She learned that Depa was particularly fond of video games and sensitive to criticism about his classroom performance, and would often accuse her of ‘spying’ on his school file.
On the day of attack, the teen was irritated that he had to wait for other students to arrive before heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. He told Naydich that he hadn’t been given dinner the night before.
While the autistic teen tried to ‘intimidate,’ Naydich never suspected he would act violently towards her
Surveillance video shows the 6’6′, 270-pound teen knocking Naydich to the ground in his special needs classroom before kneeling down and punching her in the head and back
The 59-year-old met Depa in January 2022 when she began assisting his primary teacher. She learned that he was adopted as a young child before being sent to live in a group home
The Rhode Island native, pictured with her two children, moved to Palm Coast and worked in the Flagler County School District starting in 2003
After eating, Depa headed to his regular special needs class, where his main teacher generally allowed him to use his Nintendo Switch if he completed his work.
Naydich walked him to his next class, where there was a substitute. Depa pulled out his gaming console, distracting some of the other students and prompting her to demand he put it away.
The teen obliged but procured it again towards the end of the period.
Naydich then texted his primary teacher, telling her that it would be wise for Depa to not bring the console into the same class moving forward.
Upon returning to his regular classroom, Depa realized Naydich had informed the teacher what had happened in the previous class when she broached the issue and grew enraged.
‘That’s when he started calling me names,’ Naydich said. ‘B**ch. W**re. This and that.’
She grabbed her backpack and sweatshirt in preparation to leave the room, as ‘the energy changed in there.’
Depa spat in her face as she headed to the door. As she turned to open it, he knocked her unconscious.
In February 2023, Naydich advised Depa’s primary instructor that his Nintendo Switch was distracting students in a different class
When the teacher confronted him about it, Depa grew enraged and began calling Naydich a ‘b***h’ and a ‘w***e’
As Naydich gathered her things and began moving to the door to remove herself from the situation, Depa spat on her before knocking her unconscious
Nearly a year later, she suffers from hearing loss, slowed speech and delayed cognitive functioning. The attack left her with several broken ribs and a serious concussion
Nearly a year later, she still bears physical and mental scars from the attack. Her speech has slowed and she often struggles with routine cognitive functions.
Doctors are attempting to pin down a diagnosis for some of her symptoms.
‘Unfortunately, a lot of my injuries that are not visible I’m going to have for the rest of my life,’ Naydich explained.
‘I have no idea what closure looks like right now. I just want to be whole again.’
Of her attacker, she said: ‘I want to make sure he is not able to walk the streets freely.’
Depa faces a prison term of up to 30 years. His sentencing is scheduled for January 31.