Joan Naydich: Teacher recalls how 270-pound student spat at her and hurled insults in brutal assault over game device

Trigger warning: The following article contains graphic content that some readers may find traumatic. Discretion is advised.

MATANZAS, FLORIDA: An autistic student beat a Florida high school teacher to a pulp, but the teacher claims the student did more than just hit her revealing new details about the incident.

As previously reported, Brendan Depa, then 17 years old, viciously attacked Matanzas High School teacher Joan Naydich in February 2023.

Depa, who is 270 pounds and stands 6 feet 7 inches tall, attacked Naydich because of a disagreement regarding his Nintendo Switch.

Joan Naydich reveals details about incident

In her latest interview with the New York Post, Naydich revealed that she realized it was time to leave her classroom as she wiped the spit out of her face. "The last thing I remember is having my hand on the door handle," she said.

“I don’t remember anything [else] until 3.30 pm when I came to. And at that point, I was in the ER and my son and daughter were standing there,” she added.

His sentencing is scheduled for later this month. In the interim, Naydich shared details of the case, including how Depa had spit on her and called her a "b**ch" and "w**re" because she had told his teacher that the gaming device was a distraction.

Naydich suffered serious injuries from the incident, which was caught on camera and seen over 10 million times worldwide. These included five broken ribs, a concussion, and psychological trauma.

The fifty-nine-year-old native of Rhode Island settled in Palm Coast, north Florida, twenty years ago, and started working in the Flagler County School District in 2003.

Naydich worked in the cafeteria of Matanzas High School for almost twenty years before pursuing the certifications required to work as a paraprofessional classroom assistant.

The job allowed her to make a living and spend the day near her two children who were in the district. 

Brendan Depa 'was a normal kid'

In a special needs classroom in January 2022, Naydich first made the acquaintance of Depa, a teenage autistic person. She helped so that Depa and his classmates could get to where they were going at different times of the day.

She met Depa, a troubled but intelligent teen who had been adopted as a small child and placed in a group home. He would verbally abuse her and other employees when he was upset, usually using some variation of the word "b**ch."

However, she didn't feel threatened physically by her student for over a year. She said, "He would try to intimidate. But during that school year, it never got to the point where he became violent. It was just verbal.”

When Depa was at ease, she would demonstrate her advanced intelligence and self-control by enrolling in a computer class at Matanzas High School alongside the general education students.

Naydich would soon discover that his obsession was video games. She said, "Other than him being outwardly defiant, I didn’t notice that there was anything wrong with him. He was a normal kid."

If Naydich asked about his performance in class, Depa would become enraged and order his teacher to stop "spying" on students' records.

On other days, though, the tall teenager and the short teacher would talk about his chances of going to college and his possible career path in computers.

Joan Naydich's son was injured during attack

Naydich, who was then taken to the hospital. Naydich's son, a senior at the school, was also injured in the attack. Naydich is currently battling with the school district for worker's compensation.

Depa has pleaded guilty and faces a term of probation or 30 years behind bars. Supporters argue that his dysfunctional childhood and mental deficits should mitigate his term, while others, including Naydich, believe he is unworthy of the court's mercy.

Naydich is currently on leave and without income from her former job, relying on a GoFundMe campaign that raised $136,000 as of Thursday. A judge will decide Depa’s fate on Jan. 31.