A teenager has gone viral thanks to his hilarious facial expressions during an interview discussing a recent frightening attack.
Sullivan Clarke, 13, had his neck slashed on February 14 while on holiday with his parents, as a man came at him on the boardwalk of Daytona Beach in Florida at around 10pm.
The family was heading back to their hotel at the time when Sullivan’s mother, Lori, noticed a man with a ‘strange look in his eyes’.
She described the incident as completely random, with her son explaining how he most likely survived because he ‘turned at the perfect time’, having been on the phone before looking up, meaning the box cutter caught the side of his neck instead.
But had the blade penetrated ‘just one millimetre deeper’, his father, Jerod, has said, then the outcome could’ve been very different.
Appearing on Fox News to recall having his neck, as his dad says, ‘totally gashed open’, Sullivan was all bandaged up following 13 stitches.
Still, he was as much of a teenager as ever.
The youngster’s TV appearance has been viewed online millions of times, as viewers declared he’s ‘going places’ thanks to his super chilled reaction to something so traumatic.
During the interview with Laura Ingraham, Sullivan sat with his arms folded and appeared very relaxed in demeanour, which was a contrast to his mother, who spoke of the ‘horrific experience’.
She declared that she wants the man responsible for her son’s near-fatal injuries to be ‘put away forever’, as the suspect currently detained was arrested earlier that same day for allegedly hitting someone with a sledgehammer.
‘It’s just shocking that he could be out on the streets,’ said Lori. ‘We know that the State of Florida can do better.’
But when Sullivan himself was asked if the incident has ‘changed how he feels walking on the street’ and if he has started ‘looking over his shoulder’ instead of at his phone, he had a blasé reply.
‘I mean, I think, yeah, but I don’t think it should have to be like that, you know? Like, it’s kinda dumb,’ he mused.
‘Protective’ mother Lori jumped in as her son smirked and nodded along: ‘He was only 11 feet away from me when this happened, maybe 12 feet. It’s absolutely horrifying.’
Clearly taking Sullivan by surprise, Lori added that he has ‘had nightmares’ in the aftermath of the stabbing, causing him to turn and look at her with confusion, as if out of embarrassment.
‘His little brother, who’s 11, who saw everything as well, seeing his brother’s neck slit open, there might be some trauma, and we’re very upset,’ Lori added, getting choked up all while Sullivan stroked his chin and pouted in what’s been called a ‘legendary’ final pose.
‘Keep in touch with us, please. We’re with you all the way,’ the broadcaster concluded on the call, Sullivan totally unbothered as the interview came to a close.
As the clip began doing rounds on X, viewers were quick to praise Sullivan, with @NawTrouble writing: ‘This is so interesting. The mother is trying to create trauma where the kid is obviously handling this very seriouse situation incredibly well [sic]’.
@JoshuaArieh hailed Sullivan as ‘your next viral superstar’, while @SoftwareBrian ‘could not stop laughing’ as he watched.
‘Bro looking at his mom like don’t do me like that’, joked @Billydjdog, as @ArcherNightfall commented that ‘moms are invented to embarrass their sons’.
‘He was mad his mom is telling people he is crying and having nightmares .lol’, @mindyeee9 wrote.
‘Mom ruined all the possible dates this dude was gonna pull from this incident’, quipped @HairyTalbot3.
@SnowflakeSlayr1 laughed: ‘oh to be 13 and as fearless and nonchalant as he is again! That kid is hilarious! What a warrior’.
A Florida man named Jermaine Long has been arrested in connection with the attack on Sullivan.
The 44-year-old already faces pending charges from another alleged assault with a knife and eight-foot pole against two men in January.
Long is also a registered sex offender in Nebraska, having been convicted of sexual assault of a minor, and was previously found guilty of petty theft and drug possession.
He has now been charged with a felony count of second-degree aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to online court records. Long has been granted a $50,000 (£37k) surety bond.
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