Toddler Stabbed in Face by Man Previously Ruled Incompetent for Child Attacks

A man accused of stabbing a toddler in the face while she sat in her stroller at a Rhode Island school bus stop has a history of violence against children, including an attack more than two decades ago for which he was found incompetent to stand trial.

Nelson Blanco, 46, is accused of stabbing the 2-year-old girl and her mother on Wednesday afternoon in Providence. The toddler was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Her mother, who suffered a stab wound to the shoulder, was treated and released, according to local reporting. The mother told police she was waiting with her daughter for her other children to get off a school bus when Blanco allegedly approached and made insulting comments. She attempted to move away with the stroller, but Blanco allegedly approached again and attacked the child with a knife. Police stated there was no evidence he knew either victim.

Surveillance video showed the mother and daughter trying to move away before Blanco allegedly grabbed the stroller and struck the child repeatedly, according to Boston 25 News. A bystander attempted to intervene but Blanco allegedly threatened that person with the knife before fleeing. Officers apprehended Blanco hiding in the basement of a nearby home and recovered a knife. Authorities reported that Blanco admitted to the stabbings during questioning, telling detectives he stopped the attack because it was on a main street, adding, "If I was on a side street, I would have killed them. Both of them."

Blanco faces six charges, including two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, felony assault, breaking and entering into an occupied dwelling, and two weapons charges. He appeared in Rhode Island’s 6th Division District Court, where he was referred to the public defender and requested an evaluation. He is being held without bail pending a competency hearing later this month.

The suspect's arrest brought back traumatic memories for Andy Lopez and Dave Belony, who were 6 and 7 years old, respectively, when Blanco attacked them while they played in Lopez’s backyard on Sept. 27, 2003. Belony said he recognized Blanco immediately upon seeing his booking photo on social media. "I knew it was him, because I will always remember that face," Belony told WPRI. "My heart dropped, and it truly felt like my world had stopped."

Court records from the 2003 incident show Blanco faced felony assault charges and a weapons charge. Multiple court entries from September 2004 through March 2006 state that the defendant remained incompetent to stand trial. The case is still listed as "under review" in the court portal.

More recently, Blanco was found incompetent to stand trial in July in a separate domestic violence case. A judge accepted a doctor’s recommendation allowing him to remain in outpatient treatment at that time, deeming him unlikely to endanger the community or himself.

Lopez and Belony recounted that the 2003 attack left them with injuries and lasting trauma. They said Blanco emerged from a shed where he had been living and attacked them without speaking. Belony was stabbed at least five times in his stomach, back, and ribs, while Lopez was stabbed twice in the eye. Both children recovered after three months and at least three surgeries each. Lopez sustained permanent blindness in his left eye, which he said impacted his career aspirations. Belony stated he continues to struggle emotionally.

Lopez and Belony expressed devastation for the recent victims and frustration that Blanco allegedly committed a similar violent act years later. "It’s frustrating for us, not only because of what happened to us, but because it has happened to others," Lopez told WPRI. "He was given a chance 23 years ago, and 23 years later, he did the same thing." They are seeking justice and accountability for Blanco's actions.