Who is Jack Laroche? YouTuber arrested after allegedly chasing and assaulting an autistic student while filming content at school

A seemingly ordinary visit to a Florida college campus has turned into a disturbing case surrounding a little-known content creator. What happened inside a University of North Florida building has since put Jack Laroche under police scrutiny and raised questions about what he was doing on campus.


The details that emerged from the investigation paint a troubling picture, with an encounter involving a student allegedly escalating inside a bathroom before police became involved.

Jack Tyler Laroche is from Kingsland, Georgia, and had largely remained outside the spotlight before his arrest. He reportedly described himself to police as a creator of prank and vlog-style YouTube videos.

He did not have a major public profile or recognizable brand before the incident at UNF brought his name to wider attention. His connection to the case came after police investigated an encounter between Laroche and a college student who told officers that he had been followed on campus.

According to an arrest report obtained by PEOPLE, the student first noticed an unknown man following him outside the dormitory where he lived.

He reportedly tried to get away by going to a friend's room, but the man allegedly continued following him. When the friend was not there, the student went into a bathroom in the building's lobby and entered a stall.


Police allege that the man entered the neighboring stall, looked over the partition and began speaking to the student before entering the locked stall with him.

The student told officers that he felt as though he could not leave.

The alleged encounter then took a more serious turn. Laroche allegedly demanded the student's phone number and called it to make sure it was real before recording the student inside the stall on his cellphone, according to the report.

Police allege that Laroche put the student in a headlock and repeatedly flicked him in the face. His eyeglasses reportedly fell to the floor and broke.

Before leaving, Laroche allegedly forced the student to set a timer for 10 minutes and warned him not to leave before it went off or he would "come back and get you."

Surveillance footage reportedly helped investigators establish a timeline. Police said the suspect followed the student into the bathroom at approximately 3:45 PM and left about 14 minutes later.

The student remained inside until the timer expired because he was afraid. He then drove to the campus police station and reported the encounter.

The report states that the student had minor abrasions on his nose and swelling on his cheeks. A crime scene detective photographed the injuries.


The investigation took another turn when officers contacted the phone number the student had provided. According to the report, the man who answered identified himself as "Jack Jones," claimed to be 65 years old and said he was in Georgia.

Police later found Laroche on campus. He was reportedly drenched in water and had a small cut on his leg. He allegedly continued using the name Jack Jones and claimed to be a UNF student living in a dorm, but could not identify which dorm.

After the student identified him, Laroche reportedly provided his real name. Officers verified his identity using identification found in his wallet.

Laroche allegedly told officers that he had been running through a campus fountain and fell, injuring his leg. He initially denied entering any campus building, according to the report.

After officers told him surveillance footage showed him entering the bathroom, he acknowledged using a bathroom but denied having any contact with the student.

According to the arrest report, Laroche told police he had gone to the campus to make YouTube content and said he was just "f—— around."

Laroche was arrested at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville on August 21, according to the arrest report obtained by PEOPLE.


He was charged with abuse of a disabled adult without causing great bodily harm, false imprisonment and giving a false name or identification to law enforcement.

He was subsequently taken to the Duval County jail. The allegations against Laroche have not been proven in court.