Expand / Collapse search
☰

Venice man attacked in his neighborhood, deputies searching for suspect: ‘I was shocked’

By
Published  April 23, 2025 5:45pm EDT
Venice
FOX 13 News

Man recovering after surprise attack on street

Aaron Mesmer reports.

The Brief

    • A Venice man survived a surprise attack by a man who was hiding near his house.
    • During a nightly walk in his neighborhood this past weekend, the man heard a threatening voice coming from the bushes.
    • The man believes he was armed with a box cutter during the attack.

VENICE, Fla. - A Venice man felt fortunate to be alive on Wednesday after he survived a surprise attack by a man who was hiding near his house.

The backstory:

A.J. Tundo said he was going on a nightly walk through his neighborhood on Sunday when he heard a threatening voice coming from the bushes.

READ: Suspected drunk driver chugs beer in front of Lakeland officers, tells them he has 3 DUI convictions: LPD

"I heard, 'I'm going to cut that b----'s throat,'" Tundo said. "He was on top of me so fast, I was shocked."

Tundo said he did everything he could to defend himself from the attacker, who Tundo believes was armed with a box cutter.

"I put my arm up here to keep [him] away, and I could use this hand. So he got me here, here, and here, but at least he didn't get my throat," Tundo said, pointing to the cuts on his arms, hands and the back of his neck. "He came running out of the bushes holding his bike with one hand and slashing me. I mean, he just came out slashing."

Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

Dig deeper:

Tundo believes this may not have been his first run-in with this man. He believes he caught the same person trying to break into his shed a couple of days earlier. Tundo said he hit the man twice before the intruder got away.

Tundo said the same guy returned later that day and was mad the victim had called 911.

What they're saying:

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is investigating the weekend attack, but no arrests have been made. Tundo is concerned about leaving his house, even going for a walk.

MORE: Uvalde City Council approves $2M settlement with Robb Elementary families

"The first night, I was in shock. The second night, I started realizing I could have been killed. Today, I'm pissed, and I'm scared," he said. "I feel like this guy is going to try to kill me. I truly do."

Tundo said he declined medical treatment following his attack, because he's the primary caretaker of his wife, who is sick.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered during an interview with A.J. Tundo, the man who was attacked in his neighborhood over the weekend. It also includes details from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. 

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: 

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

VeniceCrime and Public Safety