A former resident of New Jersey was among the 14 victims identified Thursday in the San Bernardino massacre that marked the deadliest incident of gun violence in the United States in three years.
Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, was a former environmental health inspector in Cape May County before moving to California a little more than a decade ago, according to NJ.com.
A resident of Middle Township, Thalasinos was a married father of two adult children, according to a friend in Linwood, Ed Beck, whose wife worked with Thalasinos at the Cape May County Department of Public Health.
One day before Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 26, opened fire on a party for county health workers, Thalasino warned of an online threat he received – purportedly from Ukraine – which read, "You will die and never see Israel as country believe me never,” according to NorthJersey.com.
Another friend, Kuuleme Stephens, said Thalasinos was a passionate conservative and supporter of Israel who frequently posted about the dangers of Islamic extremism. Stephens said Thalasinos got into a verbal argument with Farook over the phone two weeks ago, but did not believe it was a sign of impending trouble.
Beck described Thalasinos as a "wonderful friend" who "really cared for his kids," according to Philly.com.
On Thursday, Thalasinos' Facebook page was flooded with remembrances and grief over the loss of a man friends considered to be an outspoken patriot.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist Jennifer Thompson-Thalasinos, who was married to Nicholas for 14 years.