Influencer reports attempted assault in Atlanta during World Cup coverage

Argentine journalist and social media influencer Melina Moriatis has reported an attempted assault while covering the 2026 World Cup in Atlanta, United States. Moriatis, who boasts over 650,000 followers, recounted the harrowing experience that took place around 12:30 a.m. on Monday as she returned to her hotel.

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There was a homeless person on a stool, completely out of it. I grabbed my keys, I was going to the elevator, the guy followed me and got in the elevator with me.

According to her testimony, a homeless individual present in the hotel's reception area began following her as she headed towards the elevator. "There was a homeless person on a stool, completely out of it. I grabbed my keys, I was going to the elevator, the guy followed me and got in the elevator with me," Moriatis detailed in a video posted on Instagram.

Moriatis managed to exit the elevator just before the doors closed and sought refuge with the receptionist. However, the assailant remained hostile. The situation escalated with the arrival of four Argentine fans from San Juan who were also staying at the hotel. Moriatis asked them to form a "barrier" so she could reach her room safely.

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I told them 'make a barrier for me,' I'll get behind and go up to my room. When they made the barrier, this man became totally violent, grabbed something he found as a weapon, and started hurting them and cutting them.

"I told them 'make a barrier for me,' I'll get behind and go up to my room. When they made the barrier, this man became totally violent, grabbed something he found as a weapon, and started hurting them and cutting them," she recounted. The tense encounter lasted about thirty minutes until local police intervened. Images shared by Moriatis showed the aggressor confronting the Argentine fans.

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I'm making this video above all because I want to thank these people who, without knowing me... I don't know if anyone from another country really has this solidarity of ours, to defend a stranger to the death.

Expressing gratitude towards the men who defended her, Moriatis stated, "I'm making this video above all because I want to thank these people who, without knowing me... I don't know if anyone from another country really has this solidarity of ours, to defend a stranger to the death." As a gesture of appreciation, she launched a social media campaign to secure World Cup tickets for the fans who protected her, emphasizing their solidarity as a source of national pride.

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Help me spread this video so that the help arrives to get tickets for these Argentines who saved my life.