Nicholas Attalla, 34, a Pennsylvania influencer known online as Niky Sal, has been charged with criminal nuisance and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from a physical confrontation that occurred on December 15, 2025, in Jamestown, New York, during which Attalla was stabbed in the arm.
Attalla, who has approximately 47,000 followers on Facebook and describes his page as a platform for awareness of online child predators, engages in operations similar to the former NBC show 'To Catch a Predator.' He poses as a minor on social media to lure individuals he suspects of preying on children into staged encounters that he records on camera.
On the day of the incident, Attalla, posing as a 14-year-old girl, began communicating with an individual on a dating website who claimed to be a 16-year-old boy. Attalla then arranged to meet this person at a Tim Hortons in Jamestown. Upon arrival, Attalla confronted two men, James Morris, 43, and Eric Spencer, 42, accusing Morris of conversing with a minor. According to the Jamestown Police Department, Attalla threatened Morris based solely on the phone conversation and his voice.
A physical altercation ensued between Attalla, Morris, and Spencer, during which the three men allegedly crashed into a family with a one-year-old child. Before leaving the scene, Morris reportedly stabbed Attalla in the arm, causing a significant laceration. Attalla received medical treatment at UPMC Chautauqua and was later transferred to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. Images shared on social media showed Attalla in a hospital bed with his injured hand bandaged.
Morris was apprehended a short distance from the Tim Hortons and faced charges including first-degree assault, tampering with physical evidence, and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was subsequently remanded to the Chautauqua County Jail.
A subsequent investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, led by Chief Scott D Forster, found no evidence of prior communication between the three men before the confrontation. Search warrants executed on their cellphones revealed no contact. Police stated that the incident endangered numerous patrons, including the toddler involved in the disturbance.
On September 4, following the extensive investigation, Attalla, Morris, and Spencer were all charged with second-degree criminal nuisance and endangering the welfare of a child. Morris and Spencer were arrested in January 2026, while Attalla surrendered to the Jamestown Police Department last week. Authorities have not yet released further details regarding upcoming court proceedings.