Five Things You Should Know About The South American Victims Of The NYC Terror Attack

L to R: NYC terror victims Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferrucci (Facebook image)

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Nov. 2, 2017: The majority of victims of the Halloween Terror Attack in New York City Tuesday were foreigners. Five of the eight were from South America. Here are five things you should know about these five South Americans whose lives were brought to an end suddenly:

1: The five victims were Argentine and all knew each other. They were all men who were in NYC on vacation as a group, according to the Foreign Ministry of the South American nation.

2: They were all aged 48 or 49 and were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their graduation from the General San Martín College in the port city of Rosario, 300km up the Paraná River from the capital, Buenos Aires.

3: The five were Diego Enrique Angelini, Ariel Erlij, Hernán Ferrucci, Hernán Diego Mendoza and Alejandro Damián Pagnucco who graduated in 1987.

Erlij, a successful businessman who owned the steel firm Ivanar in Rosario, had paid for the trip for two of his former classmates who could not afford the costs.

Ferrucci had studied at the National University in Rosario after graduating from General San Martín College. He became an architect and had worked on a project building condominiums in an upscale area of Rosario, local media reported.

Angelini also became an architect after his studies at General San Martín. He had his own architecture studio in the center of Rosario.

Pagnucco, 49, lived in Funes, the same small city outside of Rosario where Erlij also lived.

Mendoza also became an architect after graduating from college. According to his Facebook profile, he had worked most recently at Duendes Rugby Club in Rosario.

4: The trip had been planned more than a year ago – at their last school reunion when they decided to do something special to mark the 30th anniversary of their graduation, local media are reporting.

5: The group had decided to hire bicycles to tour Lower Manhattan.  They were cycling two abreast along the West Street, and Houston Street cycle path when a white pick-up truck mounted the path shortly after 3 p.m. on Halloween when they were mowed down by the Home Depot truck driven by Saipov. The city of Rosario has declared three days of mourning for the five Argentine victims.

Meanwhile, Sayfullo Saipov, the 29-year-old Uzbekistan who allegedly perpetrated the crime, was charged in US federal court in New York City Wednesday afternoon. He reportedly entered the US five or six years ago after winning the green card lottery. Saipov has reportedly admitted he is an ISIS sympathizer who was influenced by propaganda videos from the terror group. He is married and a father of three.