Classmates surprise 14-year-old friend with football jersey on his birthday

Updated: 11:17 PM EST Dec 10, 2022

Typically, a sports fan's allegiance never wavers.But at the middle school in Boone, Iowa, a group of teenage boys gave one Green Bay Packers fan a good reason to hop on the Minnesota Vikings bandwagon.Fourteen-year-old James Baldwin is happy to wear whatever jersey he can find. In fact, the eighth-grader diagnosed with ADHD, DMDD, autism and an intellectual delay owns an entire collection, anything from a green Brett Favre jersey to Indianapolis Colts legend Marvin Harrison.But his favorite is actually the newest: a Justin Jefferson Minnesota Vikings jersey.On Dec. 6, a group of James' friends in his eighth-grade class chipped in their own money to surprise him on his birthday at school and he's worn it every day since."We've made a compromise, that as long as we have a clean shirt underneath, he can continue to wear the jersey," James' mother, Rachel Baldwin, a Packers fan said.She's more than willing to set the NFC North rivalry aside to see her son smile.A sense of relief knowing she can send her son to school knowing he will always have a group of friends who have his back."They're setting a really wonderful example for other kids to make friends with that kid who is different who maybe they don't understand and you can really impact somebody's life in even a small way," Rachel Baldwin said.

A man was arrested in New Jersey for allegedly attempting to firebomb a synagogue.

According to the Department of Justice, Nicholas Malindretos, 26, is charged with attempted use of fire to damage and destroy a building used in interstate commerce.

“The defendant is alleged to have gone to a synagogue in the middle of the night and maliciously attempted to damage and destroy it using a firebomb," said U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Prosecutors allege Malindretos was captured on surveillance camera at the Temple Ner Tamid Jewish Congregation in Bloomfield, New Jersey, on Jan. 29. He allegedly ignited a wick on a bottle and then threw it at the front glass door of the temple before leaving the area.

Despite wearing a ski mask, authorities said Malindretos was identified by a license plate reading device that picked up his vehicle leaving the area. Officers said they found several items consistent with the firebombing.

Malindretos faces a minimum of five years in prison if convicted.

This is the second high-profile incident targeting the Jewish community in the past few months. Federal authorities say 18-year-old Omar Alkattoul used social media to send a manifesto with threats to the Jewish community. He was arrested in November.