In a rented pickup truck, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov smashed into a crowded Manhattan bike path beside the Hudson River. The attack ended with the deaths of eight and the hospitalization of several others. After crashing into a bus, Saipov jumped out of the truck and ran down the West Side Highway with a pellet gun and paintball gun as he shouted Allahu akbar (God is great in Arabic). While officials have labeled Saipov a terrorist and connected him to ISIS, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference that “there’s no evidence that suggests a wider plot or a wider scheme,” according to the New York Times. As more information about this tragedy is released, details have begun to surface about those who lost their lives.
Five men from Argentina are among the victims. Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Herán Ferruchi were killed in the attack. They were among a group of 10 visiting New York to celebrate the 30th-year anniversary of graduation from Instituto Politécnico Superior in Rosario. They reportedly rented bikes and were trampled, according to La Nación. The group met up every year to celebrate their friendship, which served as a high school reunion of sorts. Last year, they headed to Boston to visit Martín Marro. To honor the former students, the Instituto Politécnico held a moment of silence and flew the Argentine flag at half mast.