The victim is from New York and had dreamed of visiting Ireland one day.
A teenage boy has been arrested following a serious assault on a US tourist in Dublin city centre.
The boy is now being held at a Garda station in north Dublin and is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Stephen Termini, 57, was left with serious injuries after being beaten by a group of youths on Store Street in Dublin on Wednesday.
The incident occurred after the man had left his guesthouse accommodation on Talbot Street on Wednesday night.
He is currently in intensive care at Beaumont Hospital.
Termini is originally from Buffalo, New York and had dreamed of visiting Ireland one day.
Speaking about the horrifying incident, his son Mike Rizzuto told RTÉ News that his father had saved up for his trip and had really looked forward to visiting.
“My dad’s mother’s ashes were spread in Ireland in 2002 and he was unable to make it there at the time. His grandfather used to paint murals in Ireland. I’ve been raised with Irish heritage which is very important to my dad.
“Last time I spoke to him he was saving up every penny, doing odd jobs to get over to Ireland. He was talking about playing music in Ireland. That’s where he wanted to be so it really sucks what happened to him,” Mike Rizzuto said.
“He would give you the shirt off his back, he’s a very good man.”
“We just feel helpless at the moment. His sister lives about 10 hours away from me in a different state. My brother and I are trying to come up with a plan so we can all fly over. Even though we can’t do anything, we can try to be there with him at least,” Mike added.
Mike has since set up a GoFundMe to help raise the money needed to be with his father.
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