Hawaii tourist charged with attempted murder, accused of stabbing veteran boat captain on snorkel tour

A Kansas man allegedly tried to kill his boat captain mid-snorkel tour in Hawaii, police say.

Hawai‘i Island police said that 21-year-old Avery Nissen of Overland Park, Kansas allegedly stabbed a 62-year-old male boat captain on Thursday during a three-hour snorkel tour. Nissen was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.

According to KHNL, the injured boat captain was identified as Stanley Lurbiecki, who is a veteran in the boating industry. Police said the 62-year-old man received numerous stab wounds to the head and hands, as well as a stab wound to the lower abdomen. The man was transported to a local hospital where he’s in stable condition.

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Police said officers responded to the incident at 3:21 p.m. on Thursday at the Honokōhau Harbor in Kailua-Kona.

Officials said other passengers onboard the boat restrained Nissen after he allegedly began attacking the man with a filet knife. Police said a motive for the alleged attack isn’t known.

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According to the report, the incident happened on a catamaran owned by Hawaii Nautical, a boat tour company.

Mark Towill, owner and president of Hawaii Nautical, told the outlet that, “Stan is stable, he’s recovering. He’s a real hero and a fighter.”

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“I’m just incredibly grateful that our team is safe and that the situation ended the way it did,” Towill said. “I’ve never heard of anything like this happening in this industry before, and just really grateful to all of our team for the way that they reacted, the professionalism that was demonstrated.”

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Bail for Nissen was set at $1.57 million, and he’s expected in court on Monday afternoon.