The man beaten to death inside a New York City subway station has been identified as a beloved churchgoing security guard, tragically just a year away from retirement.
David Mazariegos, 25, is facing a murder charge after allegedly stomping the innocent commuter more than 15 times near Brooklyn’s Jay Street–MetroTech station Tuesday afternoon, robbing him, and later telling police he ‘took his spirit.’
The random assault shattered the victim’s skull, crushed his nose and left his face battered in multiple places, killing him within hours, according to The New York Post.
Nicola Tanzi, 64, well-known in the borough and a devoted church volunteer, was identified on Thursday night as the man bludgeoned to death.
‘Nicky had such a kind heart and was always a glass-is-half-full kind of person,’ John Heyer, the deacon of the Roman Catholic church Tanzi attended, told The New York Post.
‘He always had concerns for others,’ he added. ‘So, I believe he’d help and forgive the person who did this and would have gotten them the help that they needed.’
A Bronx resident with over two dozen prior arrests, Mazariegos was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on a first-degree murder charge and remanded into custody without bail – all while wearing a sinister smile.
The horrific attack unfolded just after 3pm at the security gate of the Jay Street–MetroTech train station – steps from Tanzi’s workplace – where officers found an adult male lying unresponsive.
The man beaten to death inside a New York City subway station has been identified as beloved churchgoing security guard Nicola Tanzi, 64 (pictured)
David Mazariegos (pictured), 25, is facing a murder charge after allegedly stomping an innocent commuter more than 15 times near Brooklyn’s Jay Street–MetroTech station Tuesday afternoon, robbing him of his credit cards and ID, and later telling police he ‘took his spirit’
Surveillance footage obtained by police allegedly showed Mazariegos punching Tanzi in the face for no reason, knocking him to the ground and kicking him in the head up to 15 times in front of the turnstiles, according to ABC 7 News.
The assault lasted 10 minutes before the sadistic attacker rifled through Tanzi’s pockets, taking his wallet and ID while he lay unconscious – a delay that slowed police identification, sources told The New York Post.
There, he was left battered and clinging to life.
Tanzi was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead roughly an hour later.
‘He came in here for coffee and went to work that morning,’ Carmine Racaro, owner of Flowers By Emil, a local shop Tanzi frequented everyday, told The Post. ‘He never came home.’
NYPD officials issued a department-wide emergency alert after the shocking attack, setting off a manhunt that culminated in Mazariegos’ arrest, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
‘Eagle-eyed cops working near Times Square recognized this perp from the photos they had just received and immediately brought this dangerous criminal into custody,’ she wrote on X.
The random assault, which allegedly lasted a grueling 10 minutes – shattered Tanzi’s skull, crushed his nose and left his face battered in multiple places, killing him within hours
Surveillance footage obtained by police allegedly showed Mazariegos punching Tanzi (pictured) in the face for no reason, knocking him to the ground and kicking him in the head up to 15 times in front of the turnstiles
Authorities found Mazariegos shortly after the slaying, allegedly in possession of four of Tanzi’s credit cards and a katana sword with a blade exceeding 20 inches.
Street photographer Christopher Gonzalez, 36, who witnessed the arrest, recalled Mazariegos laughing unnervingly as authorities swarmed him, according to The Post.
‘He didn’t have the sword drawn or anything like that, but there was a samurai sword,’ Gonzalez told the outlet.
‘Even when I saw him yesterday, before I knew it was the same person as the Brooklyn beating, I’m like, “This guy’s not right in the head,”‘ he added.
Sources revealed that after being detained, Mazariegos allegedly told police that he beat the innocent stranger to death because he didn’t like the way the victim ‘looked at him.’
On Wednesday, Mazariegos was first arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on a previous weapons charge and an outstanding larceny warrant for allegedly stealing from a deli’s tip jar last month.
Two NYPD detectives stood behind him as he remained handcuffed, wearing what appeared to be a torn white Tyvek suit.
Outside the courtroom, Mazariegos blustered about his dead ancestors, blamed Western medicine for his family’s deaths and eerily questioned how many bodies were buried beneath the courthouse, according to The Post.
Prosecutors revealed that the attack appeared to be triggered after Tanzi had graciously held the door open for Mazariegos (pictured), who allegedly took offense
Authorities found Mazariegos in Times Square (pictured) shortly after the slaying, allegedly in possession of four of Tanzi’s credit cards and a katana sword with a blade exceeding 20 inches
Senior Assistant District Attorney Sapna Kishnani said he confessed to beating the victim (pictured), rifling through his pockets to steal from him and then ‘taking his spirit’
On Thursday, prosecutors revealed grim new details about the vicious killing, including that it appeared to be triggered after Tanzi had graciously held the door open for Mazariegos, who allegedly took offense.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Sapna Kishnani said he confessed to beating the victim, rifling through his pockets to steal from him and then ‘taking his spirit.’
‘He then proceeded to stomp on the victim not once, not twice, but over and over and over again even while the victim’s body was totally limp,’ Kishnani told the court.
‘The victim was completely unconscious and yet the defendant continued to stomp on his body,’ she added.
Prosecutors said one of the credit cards stolen from Tanzi’s pocket was allegedly used to buy the samurai sword that was found resting on Mazariegos’ lap at the time of his arrest.
The simple act of kindness, they claim, allegedly drove the maniacal attacker to unleash a brutal, fatal beating on the respected 64-year-old – even after he had stopped moving from the repeated blows.
Kishnani also disclosed that Mazariegos had a history of criminal cases being dismissed because of mental health issues.
Sources said that he has at least 33 prior arrests – including both sealed and unsealed cases – and is listed in the city’s transit recidivist database, according to The Post.
Sources said that Mazariegos (pictured) has at least 33 prior arrests – including both sealed and unsealed cases – and is listed in the city’s transit recidivist database
Mazariegos was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on a first-degree murder charge and remanded into custody without bail (pictured)
‘Given the horrific nature of the case as I’ve just outlined it, the fact that this defendant is facing life without parole and the defendant’s history that I’ve just outlined we are asking for remand,’ Kishnani said to the court.
Tanzi, originally from Italy, moved to New York decades ago and spent the last 15 years quietly working as a security guard in the MetroTech Center area, according to The Post.
He regularly attended two parishes, volunteered as an usher and went to Italian Mass three times a week at St. Dominic’s Church.
The deacon said the women who joined Tanzi for those services are ‘beside themselves with grief, disbelief, and anger,’ as reported by The Post.
‘He volunteered to be an usher to take up the collection, and to assist anyone to find their seats in the church, open doors for the elderly women, the normal good things you’d expect from people,’ he said.
Neighborhood friends, including Racaro, spoke fondly of Tanzi, who had lived in Brooklyn for more than 20 years.
‘We lost a good friend. He was a really good guy,’ Racaro told the outlet. ‘He would come here for espresso, ask “How are you?” He was happy.’
