A man filmed going on an unhinged racist tirade during a road rage incident has been identified as a local restaurant owner and a member of the university’s advisory board.
Jonathan Spanos, 54, was recorded hurling racial slurs at another driver in York, Pennsylvania, at one point proclaiming, “I’m a racist,” in a video posted to X on Sunday.
The clip shows Spanos in a confrontation on a residential street where he repeatedly called another man’s brother “half-black.”
“I don’t have a half-black brother, but you do,” he said. ‘You stung my finger, you’re wrong.
“That’s right, I did it, I said he has a half-black brother… I am, I’m a racist.”
Jonathan Spanos, 54, was recorded hurling racial slurs and at one point saying “I’m racist” during a road rage incident.
The confrontation was on a residential street where Spanos repeatedly called another man’s brother ‘half-black.’
Spanos was on the Penn State York Advisory Board and owns a seafood restaurant with his wife called The Paddock on Market.
He resigned from the board on Monday, a day after the video was posted on X, Penn State University Public Relations Director Wyatt DuBois told DailyMail.com.
“This hateful language has no place in our community and does not reflect the University’s values or our desire to foster an inclusive environment,” DuBois said.
Spanos awarded the J. Spanos Family Trustee Scholarship in honor of his parents and sisters who attended the school. He was listed as the university’s 2014 commencement speaker, according to Daily center hours.
Spanos and his wife Sally are third-generation owners of their family restaurant, according to The Paddock on Market. website.
Spanos and his wife Sally (pictured) are third-generation owners of their family restaurant.
The website states that they are known for their “award-winning” giant Chesapeake crab cakes, fresh-cut angus stakes, stir-fry pastas, and made-to-order salads, as well as their “house-made” onion rings.
Spanos issued a public apology Wednesday along with a small group of local leaders, including the Association of Black Ministers, the NAACP and the York Coalition Confronting Racism, reported WHP.
“The video captured a heated family confrontation in which I intentionally used the ugliest language,” he said.
‘I was wrong not to walk away from that volatile situation. I was wrong to respond angrily with hateful language.
‘I was wrong to use a racist term that has caused great trauma in our country, our community and our neighbors. I was also wrong when I sarcastically stated in the video that I am a racist.
Spanos was on the Penn State York Advisory Board, but resigned on Monday, a day after the video was posted on X.
He owns The Paddock on Market, a seafood restaurant known for its “award-winning” crab cakes.
‘I am saddened that my own foolish words have understandably caused others to wonder if I am racist. Although I have never believed myself to be racist, the pastors reminded me that the mouth speaks what flows from the heart.’
The York branch of the NAACP called for Spano’s immediate resignation from the advisory board and said they were “deeply concerned” about the incident.
‘The emotional trauma that this video causes in African Americans is deplorable. “The use of this degrading term is not only offensive but also perpetuates the systemic racism that the NAACP has fought against for over a century,” said NAACP York Branch President Jamiel Alexander.
“Penn State York should conduct a thorough review of its advisory board members to ensure they embody the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Spanos for further comment.