School employee killed as teenager attacks staff with sharp tool in Poland

A 15-year-old former pupil entered a primary school in the village of Leszczydół-Nowiny, Wyszków County (Mazovia region, northeast of Warsaw), around 9 a.m. on Thursday, 8 October 2026, and attacked three staff members with a sharp object.

According to Mazovian police, the teenager wounded three employees of the school. Among those injured was the school principal, who managed to overpower and detain the attacker until officers arrived. Police reached the scene within a few minutes of the emergency call and took the 15-year-old into custody. Investigations are ongoing.

Despite resuscitation efforts, a 37-year-old female school employee (reported as a cleaner/janitor) could not be saved and died from her injuries. Police confirmed this in a subsequent statement. The other two injured staff members — the principal and a teacher — sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The attacker is a former student of the school (now attending a secondary school in the area). He reportedly carried three knives. Motives for the attack remain unknown at this stage. The case will be handled by the family and juvenile court.

The incident is the second school knife attack in the region within two days. On Wednesday, a 19-year-old wounded 10 people (including himself) at a school in Ostrołęka.

Authorities continue to investigate the Leszczydół-Nowiny attack.