Friends and neighbors are remembering 64-year-old Nicola Tanzi as a man of faith and kindness after he was killed in an attack at the Jay Street–MetroTech subway station Tuesday afternoon.

Police say Tanzi’s attacker, 25-year-old David Mazariegos, punched and kicked him, stomped on his head 10 times and stole his wallet. Court documents say Mazariegos later used Tanzi’s credit cards to buy a sword. He is now facing murder and robbery charges.

For Tanzi, his Catholic faith was central to his life.

“I think he also saw the best in other people which makes this whole incident just so much more heartbreaking,” said Deacon John Heyer, of Sacred Hearts–St. Stephen’s Church in Carroll Gardens.

Heyer, who knew Tanzi for decades, said the violence makes him think about Tanzi’s final moments.

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“It makes you just think about those last moments and what he was feeling and the helplessness that he must have had and the helplessness that we all feel now,” Heyer said.

The son of Italian immigrants, Tanzi was a fixture at church feast days, often seen carrying statues of his family's patron saint through the streets.

“He would take the, you know, the most menial task on the totem pole, even though he was one of the oldest guys there just to be able to get the job done,” Heyer said.

Even after moving to Bensonhurst, Tanzi returned to Carroll Gardens for community events.

“He said, you know, 'it’s OK, I’m used to taking the train,'” Heyer recalled, describing how Tanzi always relied on the subway to get around the city.

In Bensonhurst, Tanzi was an usher at St. Dominic’s Church. His neighbor, Francis Coccovizzo, said that was the last time he saw him.

“Anything I needed, anything he needed help with, just a great guy,” Coccovizzo said. “I heard a quote from the attacker that he did it because he looked at him funny — that was probably just Nick saying hi. I’m sorry...without even a second thought he would have done something for someone else.”

Asked if Tanzi would have forgiven his attacker, Heyer said:

“I think he would be able to forgive, but I think he would also look for justice as well and he would look to try to make sure that no one else became a victim.”

For neighbors like Coccovizzo, the best way to honor Tanzi is to keep his spirit alive.

“Just continue to be like him. Hold the door open for somebody, don’t be afraid,” he said.

“As the youngest of six brothers, he was not supposed to go first. We are all still in shock, but glad that the assailant has been caught and will be held accountable," said Tanzi's nephew, Joe Tanzi.

Mazariego has a lengthy violent criminal record, including randomly assaulting, a 65-year-old man in Manhattan in June.