San Francisco Teacher Survives Brutal Throat-Slashing Attack in Italy

Nicholas Pellegrino, a 29-year-old high school teacher from San Francisco, is recovering after surviving a near-fatal knife attack during a vacation in Italy earlier this month. The terrifying assault occurred on July 15, moments after Pellegrino boarded a train near Milan, bound for Florence.

Pellegrino, who teaches religion and coaches track at Archbishop Riordan High School, had been traveling through northern Italy to visit family and friends. But as soon as he stepped onto the train in Melegnano, a suburb outside Milan, he noticed suspicious behavior. Several nearby passengers were watching him intently, averting their gaze whenever he looked back. At the next stop, one of them lunged at him with a knife.

The attackers slashed Pellegrino’s throat, stole his crucifix, backpack, and luggage, and fled. Bleeding heavily, Pellegrino stumbled off the train, pressed his shirt against the wound, and collapsed near a column on the platform, crying out for help.

“This was going to be the end,” he later recalled, describing the overwhelming sense of helplessness he felt while trying to stop the blood loss.

Emergency responders arrived roughly 15 minutes later and rushed him to a hospital in San Donato Milanese. Doctors later determined that the attackers had nicked—but did not sever—his jugular artery. Surgeons were able to repair the artery and stop the bleeding, though he had already lost over a liter of blood. His survival, doctors told him, was nothing short of a miracle.

Italian police arrested four suspects several hours later at a train station about an hour from the scene. Authorities told Pellegrino the men—reportedly from Tunisia and Morocco—were already under investigation in connection with another attempted robbery and an assault on a cabdriver the night before.

Pellegrino remained hospitalized for four days until his condition stabilized and doctors confirmed that his artery was healing properly.

News of the attack spread quickly among his school community and former students, many of whom had traveled to Italy with him on past educational trips. Nate Simon, Assistant Principal at Riordan, called Pellegrino “an integral part of the school’s community,” describing the staff’s collective relief at hearing he was recovering.

Among those offering support was Finn McCole, a former student and track athlete who trained under Pellegrino in New York. McCole and other former students launched a fundraising campaign to assist with medical expenses and replace stolen belongings, including Pellegrino’s laptop and passport. By Saturday afternoon, the campaign had raised over $38,000.

“I’m speechless,” Pellegrino said of the overwhelming support. “It shows that the impact you have being an educator is more than people might think.”

A devout Catholic, Pellegrino said the experience has only deepened his faith. “I’m convinced the hand of God worked a miracle to ensure I did not lose my life that day,” he said.