TJ Pizzitola’s biggest dream in life was to be a dad. At 29 years old, that wish was about to come true. He and his wife, Krisan Pizzitola, were just weeks away from welcoming their first child when an unexpected tragedy changed everything. TJ Pizzitola died after a brutal attack in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, in early October. Now his young wife is left both heartbroken and angry over his senseless death.
Krisan Pizzitola told WFAA she dropped off TJ Pizzitola and some friends around 10 p.m. on October 10, 2025, to watch Major League Baseball playoffs. Just after 2 a.m., the group was waiting for an Uber when it began raining. Crowds huddled under the roof of Pattie’s First Avenue Lounge, and that’s when things went terribly wrong.
According to police, one of TJ Pizzitola’s friends accidentally bumped into a woman while waiting for their ride, WFAA reported. As the men walked, the female and four males began following them. In a blink, 24-year-old Drew Meneses, allegedly hit TJ Pizzitola in the head from behind, rendering him unconscious.
“Just let them walk away. I don’t know why they didn’t just let them walk away,” Krisan Pizzitola told the news outlet.
Meneses appeared in court, and prosecutors said cellphone video shows TJ Pizzitola hit the ground.
“What you can see is [Pizzitola] standing with his arms to his side and you can see [Meneses] walk up behind him and essentially what we refer to as sucker punched him in the head. That one punch caused the victim to have brain injury so severe that he went down completely unconscious and never recovered,” Angela Andrews with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said.
Krisan Pizzitola told WFAA she checked her husband’s location via his phone and saw he was at the emergency room. That’s when life changed forever.
“He wanted to be a dad more than anything. His biggest dream was to be a dad and a husband, and he had one of them,” Krisan Pizzitola told the outlet. “TJ never missed an OB-GYN appointment. He went to every single one, no matter how big, how small.”
TJ’s mother, Gina Pizzitola, told WFAA her son’s death upset her tremendously. “It makes me angry because it truly was the one thing that he wanted and he was so excited about,” she said.
Melissa Manning created a GoFundMe account for Krisan Pizzitola and her unborn son, who will also be named TJ. It’s raised nearly $75,000 thus far.
“He’s got a heck of a village that is determined to let him know who his dad was,” Krisan Pizzitola said.
Meneses faces second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges. Others charged in the attack include Julius Husser, 27, and Tony Becker, 26, who each face aggravated assault and assault charges, per WFAA. Mark Whitford, 23, faces an aggravated assault charge, and Krista Molina was charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
This is just such a tragedy. A young man lost his life in a moment of rage. Hopefully, TJ Pizzitola’s death will encourage the assailants to change their lives for the better.
