
Stabbed Staten Islander lucky to be alive after Italian migrant attack
Nick Pellegrino was attacked on a train Tuesday by a pair of North African migrants, who stabbed him in the neck with a 5-inch knife before making off with his luggage and jewelry — leaving him to die in a pool of his own blood in his family's homeland, which has experienced a surge in criminal migrants over the past four years.
'With these very loose, lefty immigration laws, these immigrants come into these countries and they're running amok, trying to murder people. It's a playground for terror, for the vicious,' said Pellegrino, 29, speaking by phone from his hospital bed in the town of San Donato Milanese.
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'It's f–king crazy,' he said. 'I know America has a big immigration problem, but it is worse here.'
4 Nicholas Pellegrino, left, knows he's lucky to be alive: 'Life is a gift.'
Obtained by the New York Post
Pellegrino — a former teacher at prestigious Monsignor Farrell High School in Oakwood who was visiting friends and family in Italy — recalled looking down at his phone as the train from Melegnano to Milan Bovisa rolled into the San Giuliano Milanese station.
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When the train doors opened, his mid-20s, Arabic-speaking attackers darted towards him, stabbing him in the neck, nicking his jugular vein, Pellegrino said.
'They looked like the 9/11 hijackers,' Pellegrino said. 'I remember looking at the floor in the train and just seeing the blade of the knife, and the most frightening amount of blood I have ever seen.'
Pellegrino was later told by EMTs he lost about a liter-and-a-half of blood, said Pellegrino, who now teaches religion and coaches track at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco.
Before stealing his luggage and leaving him for dead, Pellegrino's homicidal attackers snatched the gold crucifix from around his neck, he said.
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4 Eyewitnesses shared footage on Instagram of EMTs working on Pellegrino.
Obtained by the New York Post
A blood-soaked Pellegrino managed to stumble onto the train platform, where a 16-year-old boy dialed 112, Italy's 911 equivalent.
He was filmed on the platform by bystanders, repeating, 'I don't want to die, Lord,' in since-deleted videos that were posted to Instagram.
'It took the ambulance 15 minutes to get to me,' he said. 'A few more minutes, and I was a goner. I could feel, with every heartbeat, another gush of blood coming out.'
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He was rushed to the emergency room, where surgeons closed the wound with nine stitches. He'll remain under observation until at least Saturday, as doctors wait for a dangerous blood clot to shrink.
4 Pellegrino said the two men who attacked him have been detained.
Nicholas Pellegrino/ Facebook
Italian authorities have arrested the two migrants, but have not yet released their names, Pellegrino said.
Before attacking the bi-coastal New Yorker, the two men smacked an elderly man in the head with a glass bottle and stole an old woman's necklace, Milan investigators told Pellegrino.
Since at least 2021, Italy has seen a surge in migrant arrivals by sea from Nigeria, Sudan, Gambia, Morocco, Eritrea, Tunisia, Bangladesh and Syria.
Over 157,600 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers crossed the Mediterranean Sea to get to Italy in 2023. Last year, 66,000 migrants crossed into Italy. Their arrivals have put a strain on public resources and their presence has become a source of political tension, leading officials to declare a state of emergency.
4 Pellegrino visits Italy on his summer breaks to see family and friends.
Nicholas Pellegrino/ Facebook
Pellegrino said his brush with death has only reinforced his belief in God.
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'I used to doubt,' admitted Pellegrino. 'I don't doubt anymore. This has grounded me in my faith. I know Jesus saved me, and I will always be a believer.'
He's got a July 24 return flight booked, and said he'll make a full recovery from his frightening ordeal. His mother in Staten Island, not so much.
'My poor mother,' he said. 'She's been a basket case.'
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Business Insider
11 minutes ago
- Business Insider
The Coldplay 'kiss cam' situation underlines a lesson I learned as a 15-year-old cheerleader
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Newsweek
40 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Why Trump Hasn't Turned on Syria's New Leader Amid Execution of US Citizen
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Syrian Druze fighters pose for a photograph after Syrian government forces temporarily pulled out of the southern Al-Sweida governorate, on July 17, 2025. Syrian Druze fighters pose for a photograph after Syrian government forces temporarily pulled out of the southern Al-Sweida governorate, on July 17, 2025. SHADI AL-DUBAISI/AFP/Getty Images 'No Plan B' Echoing Zelin, James Jeffrey, who previously served as U.S. special representative for Syria and special envoy for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS during Trump's first administration, also argued that the White House saw few other options than help Sharaa restore order rather than further destabilize his rule. "The administration knows there is no alternative to a unified strong Syria—or rather that the alternative is the horrors of Assad, the civil war and return of Iran," Jeffrey told Newsweek. "Al-Sharaa has so far been successful de-escalating these crises—in eight months only two plus a minor one months ago with the Druze, and he does carry out investigations," he added. "None of this is perfect, but it is in stark contrast to the sad norm." He cited the words of Trump's current envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, who told the Associated Press on Monday that there is "no Plan B" when it comes to Syria's current leadership. Prior to his defeat and departure to Russia, the strongman Assad ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, more than half of which were mired in civil war between government factions, rebels and jihadis, with the U.S. later intervening in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to fight ISIS. Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled the country from 1971 until his death in 2000. U.S. ties with both Assads fluctuated over the decades, though Washington ultimately severed ties with Damascus in the early stages of the civil war, with then-President Barack Obama backing rebel groups until shifting aid to the SDF in 2015. While publicly averse to becoming too deeply involved in Syria's complex, multisided and ongoing conflict and often critical of his predecessors' policies, Trump has remained active on the issue since coming to office in January. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syria Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syria Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace/AP "On Syria, the first consideration is that the administration sees it as critically important even central to stabilizing the region," Jeffrey said. "It understands the problems." These problem include, he explained, a "devastated state and society, armed ethnic/religious minority enclaves not enthused about a unitary Syrian state, external players—Israel and [Turkey] decisively, Russia and Iran for the moment less decisively—intervening, and last but most important central government security forces that are weak and to some degree tend to add fuel to, rather than calm, local conflicts as seen in Suwayda and earlier in Latakia." No Guarantees The degree to which Saraya's death may prove further incendiary remains to be seen. But Jeffrey argued that it was likely to have some effect, if not a limited one, as was the case when a U.S. citizen was reportedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank earlier this month, prompting demands for a probe by the Trump administration, which earlier lifted its predecessor's sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of inciting deadly violence. "Killing any American citizen, as we are seeing in Israel, at least in short term changes tone and substance of relations," James said. The fallout for Damascus has the potential to be more serious. Though Trump continues to evaluate Sharaa as a potential partner for security in the region, the Syrian leader he once touted as a "young, attractive guy" with a "very strong past" and "a real shot at holding it together" runs the risk of alienating the White House should other factors outweigh the U.S. president's calculus. "It would be a mistake, in my opinion, for anyone to believe that President Trump's stance on Syria—or anything else—won't change," Dareen Khalifa, senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, told Newsweek. "Although it's hard to predict what would trigger a shift in his could be photos or videos of sectarian violence, or it could be Israeli pressure, or a mix of both," she added, "but the bottom line is I don't think Damascus should take Trump's position for granted—and for what it's worth, I don't think they do."


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Startup founder Christine Hunsicker accused of defrauding investors out of $300M
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