US tourist put in coma after Dublin attack makes ‘more cops’ call & mourns death

A US tourist left in a coma after being attacked in Dublin has told how lucky he feels after the death of a Canadian visitor this week, telling us: “That could have been me.”

New Yorker Stephen ­Termini has passed his ­sympathies onto the relatives of Neno ­Dolmajian, who lost his battle for life on Tuesday.

And the Buffalo man — whose eye remains badly ­damaged — said that he wants to return to the capital despite the vicious beating he faced in July 2023.

He spoke to Justice Minister Helen McEntee in the wake of the attack and reveals he told her of the need for more gardai patrolling in Dublin.

He told The Irish Sun: “When I spoke to the Minister of Justice on the phone, I said, ‘Listen, you gotta get your arms around this thing. You got so many people in Dublin constantly, you gotta have more guards.’

“I said, ‘Listen, I know you’re an important ­person and this and that, but let me give you a few ideas about how things happen in America where it doesn’t happen like that, it happens in a different way.’

“I told her that all the police there, they patrol neighbourhoods in a car and they look and they have their firearms. I know that Ireland, that’s one thing I like about the country of Ireland is not letting people have firearms.

“But, you know, the reason we got firearms here is because the English came over to America ­trying to seize control. So, you know, America isn’t very different from Ireland.”

Montreal native Neno, 41, was being treated in the intensive care unit of the Mater Hospital after he was assaulted on O’Connell Street in the early hours of June 23.

His parents and sister flew to Ireland and kept vigil at his ­bedside, but he never regained consciousness and a decision was taken to turn off his life-support machine on Tuesday.

Two men have been remanded in custody charged with assault causing harm to Mr Dolmajian.

Stephen, 57, was left in a coma after he was targeted on Talbot street in Dublin on July 19, 2023.

But he miraculously recovered from the attack, although he has since run into other health trouble. But after learning of Neno’s death, Stephen said it has made him feel thankful he managed to survive.

He told The Irish Sun: “Well, that could have been me . . .  it was me, but thankfully they brought me back to life. Without the machines they had in the hospital, I would have never survived because I couldn’t breathe on my own and I was so badly hurt.

“I still want to come back even though that’s happening. That ­happens everywhere and that doesn’t change my view of Ireland, the country and the Irish people.

“Bad things happen, I don’t know why it happens but it does and you just have to be a little more careful. I have nothing bad to say about Ireland to people. Like, ‘oh don’t go there because you might get killed or not’ — no, that isn’t how I feel about it.”

Mr Termini’s attack sparked nationwide outrage and debate about safety on our streets, prompting Minister McEntee to OK spending millions in extra funding for Garda overtime.

Attack impact

And the American reveals he’s still suffering following the attack, having only just returned to work when things went south on April 5.

He explained: “I was driving my truck on the way to work and I had a seizure. And I never really saw it coming or anything.

“They called an ambulance that came and got me and took me right away and to the hospital.

“And they knocked me out for emergency surgery on my back. I had a rupture in my spine. They put two rods of titanium metal and screws to make my spine straight and sewed me all up.”

Mr Termini is hopeful of getting back to work again next week. But he will always suffer with his sight after his right eye was “damaged so badly”. He added: “My vision gets blurry and it’s a little ­unbalanced for me to walk.”

A number of juveniles have been charged over the attack on Mr Termini.