DUBLIN, IRELAND: A New York man’s dream trip to Ireland turned into a nightmare when he suffered ‘life-changing’ injuries after being brutally attacked by a group of violent teenagers. Stephen Termini, 57, of Buffalo, remains in a coma at Beaumont Hospital following the vicious attack, which happened at around 10.40 pm on Wednesday, July 19 near Talbot Street in Dublin.
Authorities previously noted that Termini got beaten and kicked repeatedly by a group of violent juveniles as he left his accommodations in the troubled neighborhood. Surveillance footage retrieved from the scene showed how the father was strolling down the street when he engaged in conversation with one of the teens. Some of the suspects then appeared to kick and punch him repeatedly before vanishing around the bend, according to Daily Mail. Soon later, an ambulance arrives and transports Termini, who has been kicked in the head multiple times, to the intensive care unit.
Who is Stephen Termini?
Termini’s family revealed that he could lose his eye and suffer lifelong disability following the attack. Meanwhile, Garda investigators stated on Sunday that a 14-year-old boy had been detained for an alleged violation of the Non-Fatal Offences against Persons Act 1997. He is being held at a Garda station in north Dublin under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and will appear in court on Thursday, July 27. Termini's son, Mike Rizzuto, described the incident as "unprovoked" in a fundraising campaign set up to gather funds for the family to go to Ireland to visit his father in hospital.
"The brutal attack has left my father in a coma after suffering various injuries," Rizzuto said, adding, "He is currently in critical condition with what I am told are life-altering injuries. I am receiving news of this situation as it comes in through the media alongside everyone else." Rizzuto stated that his father is enthusiastic about music, which his boys have inherited, and has been a "huge support" throughout their life. "Although we may have not been the closest throughout the years, he is still my father and the reason I am here today. I am asking for you to send healing vibes to my father while my family and I attempt to learn more facts about the situation," the devastated son said.
'I'm still in disbelief’
Their family fundraising has so far raised more than $95,000, for which Rizzuto expressed gratitude. "I'm still in disbelief," he told the Irish Independent. "It looks like we'll be over there as soon as. I have no words, I'm so thankful. I can't put it into words, there are so many nice people out there looking out for us," he continued. Termini's sister, Michelle, said he had been working hard and "saving every penny to fund the trip" to Ireland, a country he had "always dreamed of seeing". She said he vowed to make the trip after his wife died last April. "He was trying to trace our family that emigrated to the US from Dublin," Termini's sister wrote in the fundraiser's statement.
