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One of seven men accused in a 2024 gang rape case at a Cornell University frat party was raised in South Florida and is the subject of an upcoming protest by students at Nova Southeastern University, where he appears to have later transferred.
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Jonathan Newell, 21, is accused in a lawsuit of raping a female student alongside other men after pressuring her to take ketamine and alcohol. He then sent a message in a Snapchat group for the fraternity that said, “free p—-,” encouraging “other XI chapter members to join in on the group rape,” according to the woman’s lawsuit.
Newell apologized to the woman the next day, saying he felt bad that he and another man did not ”shut it down and kick people out,” according to documents obtained by the New York Times. He told the investigators at the time that his sexual encounter was consensual and that he was heavily inebriated, the Times reported.
The Miami Herald reached out to a number listed for Newell and his father and did not receive a response. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Newell, who graduated from NSU’s prep school in Broward County, was expelled from Cornell, according to the Times’ documents. NSU’s president has said the university was unaware of the accusations against him at the time of admission, even though Cornell’s policy is to include expulsions in permanent transcripts.
The woman’s lawsuit, , ignited national outrage over how Cornell and the local district attorney’s office handled her accusations. It also launched a larger discussion about rapes on college campuses.
In Florida, that discussion soon reached NSU as parents and students voiced concerns over Newell’s admission.
What did NSU know about Jonathan Newell?
In a statement Sunday, Harry K. Moon, president and CEO of NSU, said the university did not know about Newell’s disciplinary history.
“At the time of admission, the university was not aware of allegations subsequently reported in media,” Moon wrote. “Once we learned of the reported incident, we acted immediately on behalf of the safety and well-being of our students and the NSU community.”
Cornell University’s standard policy is to include expulsions on a student’s permanent transcript, and they are not allowed to be removed. The Herald reached out to both NSU and Cornell, but representatives declined to discuss his records, citing federal statutes protecting students’ privacy.
On social media, NSU students and parents have called for Newell to be expelled. Students have organized campus protests for Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.
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Moon said in his statement that the school took action but added that “the university is legally restricted by federal regulations that limit what the university can share.”
However, an NSU student confirmed to the Herald that an email registered under the name Jonathan Newell that previously appeared in a school directory has since disappeared.
NSU, a private university in Davie, has an enrollment of over 7,000 undergraduate students and costs about $40,000 per year.
What we know about Jonathan Newell
Newell grew up in Davie, the son of a doctor and professor at the University of Miami and a construction contractor. He attended NSU University School, a preschool to grade 12 private college preparatory school associated with the university, known as “Uschool” to students.
As part of the “lifer program” at the school, he attended for nearly his entire education and graduated in 2023. Current tuition rates for the school begin at $18,500 a year in preschool and incrementally increase to $40,300 for grades 9 to 12.
Newell represented his school in sixth grade and seventh grade at the Broward County Spelling Bee, Herald articles show. His junior year of high school, he earned National Honors from the College Board, according to a post from NSU University School. A Herald article shows he played lacrosse and got an honorable mention his senior year in the All-Broward list acknowledging star players.
A student who attended school with him for years said she and their entire community were “shocked” when they heard the news about what happened at Cornell. She described Newell as “quiet” and studious and said he mostly “kept to himself.” “Nothing stood out,” she said.
“I wanted to physically throw up,” she said about the moment she saw his name on the news. “It was one of those moments where, I just, I couldn’t fathom the fact that I shared the same hallways [with him].”
“You never really know anybody, and it was shocking,” she said.
This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 6:56 AM with the headline “Who is Jonathan Newell, the Broward student accused in Cornell rape?.”
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