Confessed Brooklyn Murderer Was Awaiting Trial in Chelsea Assault
A fatal beating by a man with many arrests to his name
| 13 Oct 2025 | 03:35
Left: Confessed murderer David Mazariegos in a Brooklyn subway station;.Right: His victim, Italian-American Nicola Tanzi (center, wearing glasses), is statue bearer at an Italian religious celebration and was well known in the local community. (
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One of the more senseless murders in recent memory occurred in a Brooklyn subway station on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 7, while the hunt for its maniac perpetrator ended in Times Square that same evening. If that were the suspect’s only connection to Manhattan, it would still be notable, but the fact that David Mazariegos, 25, with dozens of arrests behind him, was already awaiting trial on a Chelsea assault case from this past June boggles the Crime Watch mind.
Police said Mazariegos confessed to the savage murder that occurred at around 3 p.m. outside the Jay Street–Metro Tech Station, near Lawrence and Willougby streets in downtown Brooklyn. According to police accounts, Mazariegos attacked the victim, 64-year-old Nicola Tanzi, after Tanzi—a complete stranger—held a subway gate door open for him.
With that “provocation,” Mazariegos proceed to attack Tanzi, an off-duty security guard, bashing his face and stomping his head repeatedly over the course of 10 minutes.
This savage beating somehow eluded the intervention of area cops, court officers, civil servants, construction workers, and others..
Afterward, Mazariegos took Tanzi’s wallet and other I.D. and fled. Tanzi died at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist in Park Slope at 4:33 p.m.
An Italian-American with roots in Bari, in southern Italy, Tanzi lived in Bensonhurst, where he attended St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church. Tanzi was also a member of the Italian club in Carroll Gardens.
“We lost a good friend. He was a really good guy,” said Carmina Racaro, owner of Emil’s Flower Shop on 18th Avenue, near Tanzi’s apartment. “He would come here for espresso, ask ‘How are you?’ He was happy.”
Once on the scene, NYPD acted swiftly, sending a photo of Mazariegos to every cop’s smartphone and also releasing images to the public.
After using one of Tanzi’s cards at the Target store at Eighth Avenue and West 42nd Street at 9:30 p.m., Mazariegos was arrested nearby two hours later, after he was reported wielding a knife.
Mazariegos’s long criminal history defies simple explanation, with dozens of arrests since he was a teenager, none of which, apparently, was deemed substantial enough to imprison him.
On the day he murdered Nicola Tanza, Mazariegos was awaiting trial for an unprovoked assault within the confines of the 13th Precinct in Chelsea. Details are as follows:
On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m, in front of 333 W. 23 St., an individual kicked a door at the location.
A 65-year-old male at the location asked him what he was doing when the suspect punched him in the face causing redness, bruising, and a small laceration. Suspect fled the scene on foot.
On July 2, cops arrested Mazariegos, 25, of 711 Magenta St. in the Bronx. Despite a top felony charge of elder assault, within days Mazariegos’s bail was reduced from $2,500 cash, $7,500 bond, to $1,000 cash, $1,500 bond, which he posted, and thus was set free.
A July 30 court date in that assault case was adjourned.
Taxi Driver Crashes into Utility Pole
A 70-year-old cab driver lost control of his vehicle on Oct. 6 and crashed into a pole on the corner of 12th Ave. and W. 42nd St. in the tenth precinct.
He was transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. Two passengers in the cab were also injured and taken to local hospitals.
No arrests were made. Police said the investigation is continuing.