Repairs underway at apartment of deaf Jacksonville man who was beaten, burglarized

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Support for a Jacksonville man who is deaf continued to come in Thursday after the News4Jax I-TEAM reported on the the issues he’s facing.

Jordan Whitty, 25, said he was jumped a week ago by a group of men while walking home from work, then burglarized just two days later.

Plus, he showed News4Jax how his unit at the Kings Trail Apartments on Toledo Road was leaking, claiming he was having issues with mold, rats and roaches.

But after the I-TEAM got involved, Whitty said he has been seeing major changes for the better and the community is showing the love.

“It makes me proud, it makes me feel great,” he said, using sign language through an interpreter.

He said he is finally getting attention from his apartment complex’s management after feeling ignored and neglected for months.

“They said ‘yes we will fix it tomorrow,'” he noted. “But they kept delaying, delaying, delaying. They didn’t show up.”

Things have gotten better since his story was first reported.

News4Jax first aired Jordan’s story Tuesday, detailing the problems the man has been dealing with.

“I do not feel safe,” he said.

But News4Jax viewers who saw the story quickly asked to help, sending emails offering assistance and donations.

“I am so happy to help,” said Andrew Carswell, who set up a donation account to raise money for Whitty. “Seeing him at that smile just means the world to me.”

Whitty set up his own GoFundMe account, which raised more than $10,000 in a 24 hours. Lawyers, social workers and volunteers reached out, even Congressman Al Lawson’s office is looking into his situation.

“He honestly, truly does deserve the help,” said Tiffany McCune, his longtime manager at a local Dick’s Wings, where he’s a cook.

McCune, who Whitty jokingly refers to as “Mom,” has been helping him since the problems with his apartment began.

“Jordan is an awesome person inside and out,” she said. “He’s a hard worker. He is a great guy.”

On Thursday, after two months of begging for help from the Kings Trail complex’s managers, according to Whitty, there’s progress. Now that the I-TEAM’s involved, a work crew was fixing his ceiling and leaky pipes.

On Wednesday, they replaced the glass that the burglars broke.

However, Whitty is hoping to use his newfound help from the community to move to a new place.

“I don’t want to live here any more because of the delay on fixing things, and it’s not safe for me,” he said.

Whitty has not taken any of his donation money yet and has put additional safety measures in place, including having people watch over his apartment.

As for all those who cared, who heard his story and showed him love, he said it means the world.

“I just want to tell you thank you,” he said with a smile, using an interpreter. “Thank all of you for caring about me. It makes me happy. It makes me feel like I’m going somewhere.”

Whitty said the complex’s manager said she’s working on getting him a new unit and offered him a month without rent. Support keeps coming in for Jordan.

If you’d like to reach out to him or make a donation to his GoFundMe account.


About the Author:

Lifetime Jacksonville resident anchors the 8 and 9 a.m. weekday newscasts and is part of the News4Jax I-Team.