Nicholas Attalla, a Pennsylvania-based influencer known as “Niky Sal,” has been criminally charged after being stabbed during his own sting operation inside a New York Tim Hortons.
Attalla, 34, of Erie, Pa., was arrested Sept. 4 on counts of third-degree assault, criminal nuisance and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Jamestown Police Department. The charges stem from a December 2025 confrontation at a Tim Hortons in Jamestown, roughly 70 miles south of Buffalo, where Attalla had arranged to meet men he accused of preying on minors.
The influencer operates undercover social media accounts where he poses as a child to identify adults seeking contact with minors. In this instance, he portrayed himself as a 14-year-old girl while communicating with someone who claimed to be a 16-year-old male through a dating site, investigators said. He then set up the Tim Hortons meeting, where he accused Eric Spencer, 42, of talking with the minor.
James Morris, 43, was also present at the coffee shop. A Jamestown Police Department spokesperson told WGRZ that Attalla “threatened him (Morris) based solely off the phone conversation and his voice.” No prior communication between Attalla and Morris had actually occurred, authorities later determined.
The confrontation turned violent. Morris allegedly stabbed Attalla during the ensuing fight, leaving the influencer with a large laceration to his arm that required treatment at UPMC Chautauqua. The brawl escalated further, engulfing a 1-year-old child and their family who were inside the restaurant at the time.
The child endangerment charges filed against all three men stemmed from that collision with the toddler during the chaos.
Attalla launched a GoFundMe to cover his medical expenses following the stabbing. As of Thursday, the campaign had raised more than $12,000 toward its $20,000 goal.
Morris and Spencer were arrested in January 2026. Morris faced charges of first-degree assault, tampering with physical evidence and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Spencer’s specific charges were not detailed in available reports.
A subsequent Jamestown Police Department investigation revealed that none of the three men had been communicating before the fight. Search warrants executed on the suspects’ cell phones found no evidence of any phone contact between Attalla, Morris or Spencer prior to the confrontation, according to Erie Now News.
On Sept. 4, all three men — Morris, Spencer and Attalla — were additionally charged with second-degree criminal nuisance and endangering the welfare of the child.
Attalla maintains approximately 47,000 followers on Facebook, where his page states it is “for educational purposes and to help spread awareness of online child predators.”
The case highlights the legal risks facing citizen-led sting operations, particularly when confrontations turn physical and endanger bystanders. Law enforcement has repeatedly cautioned against such vigilante tactics, noting that mistaken identity and uncontrolled violence can compound harm rather than prevent it.