TPD honors citizens who intervened in Point Defiance knife attack
Victoria Nizzoli is lucky to be alive.
The local architect endured the unimaginable on the early afternoon of February 10, 2024. While walking alone on a trail in Point Defiance Park, she was brutally attacked by a stranger with a knife. He ambushed her while she was turned around, stabbing and slashing her within an inch of her life.
But thanks to the intervention of three strangers, Nizzoli is now more alive than ever.
The Tacoma Police Department honored Julianna and John Vanenk with the department’s medal of courage for their bravery in saving Nizzoli from her attacker. Rebecca Honeycutt, an active-duty military member who also helped save Nizzoli’s life, was not able to make the ceremony.
“While the trauma is still ever present, it lessens with every day I’ve gotten to have thanks to Juliana, John and Rebecca,” Nizzoli said in a speech at a press conference. “Thanks to you all this is just the beginning of a running clock for how much extra time you’ve been able to give me. That’s extra time with my friends and my family, but also time I’ve been able to spend learning who I am and experiencing things I’ve never been able to before.”
The Vanenks were walking their dog in the park when they heard screaming ahead of them. They ran to the sounds to find a man standing over Nizzoli and actively stabbing her. They attempted to deescalate the situation by talking to the man, but when he showed no signs of stopping, Julianna kicked him in the head to knock him off.
This caused him to run away, letting the couple attend to Nizzoli while emergency services arrived. Honeycutt, who was also walking on the trail, heard the commotion and provided life-saving medical care before first responders came.
“You bought me the seconds I needed as I braced myself for the next attack. Intervening and telling the man to stop gave me precious breath to ready myself to keep fighting,” Nizzoli said. “Every second mattered, and there were very few of them left, but you all did what you knew was right in a much more meaningful way.”
Their quick thinking didn’t just save her life - it helped solve the case. Investigators extracted DNA from the shoe Julianna kicked the assailant with, leading them to their suspect: 29-year-old Nicholas Fitzgerald Matthew.
Matthew was found guilty of first-degree attempted murder following a jury trial. His sentencing is on hold while he completes 90 days of inpatient treatment at a psychiatric hospital.
“There wasn’t a question it was supposed to happen,” John Vanenk recalled when describing their intervention. “This is what you’re supposed to do and it’s always kind of weird to get recognition for things you’re supposed to do.”
The couple still stays in touch with Nizzoli, texting each other on occasion to check in.
When asked if she had any advice for people in case they come across a similar situation, Julianna had a simple reply.
“Do the right thing,” she said. “You never know when it might save someone’s life.”
