Man douses partner with diesel and tries to set her alight in Ivrea; friend stops him mid-attack
A 47-year-old Moldovan man was arrested for attempted murder after dousing his partner with diesel fuel and threatening to burn her during a violent argument in Ivrea, Italy. A friend present in the home intervened and held the attacker until Carabinieri arrived.
The attack
On the night of 4 July 2026, a domestic dispute in the San Bernardo district of Ivrea, near Turin, escalated into an attempted killing. The 47-year-old suspect, reportedly intoxicated, accused his cohabiting partner of infidelity after returning home and finding another man, a friend of the couple, present. He shouted threats including “I’ll kill you, I’ll burn you alive” before grabbing a canister of diesel fuel and pouring it over the woman.
With a lighter already in his hand, the man moved to ignite the fuel. The sequence of events, reconstructed by local media, shows how close the situation came to tragedy.
- Suspect, intoxicated, accuses partner of infidelity and threatens to kill her.
- Man douses the woman with diesel fuel from a canister.
- Suspect holds a lighter, preparing to ignite the fuel.
- A friend grabs the suspect’s arm, preventing him from striking the lighter.
- While the friend restrains the attacker, the woman calls emergency services.
- Officers disarm the suspect, take the lighter, and arrest him for attempted murder.
The friend’s intervention
A friend of the couple, who was in the house at the time, placed himself between the attacker and the victim. He managed to grab the suspect’s arm and prevent him from striking the lighter, holding him back physically while the woman called the emergency number 112.
The Carabinieri from the Azeglio and Borgomasino stations arrived quickly, alerted by the victim herself. They disarmed the man, took the lighter from his hand, and secured the scene. No one was injured.
Arrest and investigation
The 47-year-old was arrested on charges of attempted murder and taken to the local prison in Ivrea. The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Ivrea is coordinating the investigation. The suspect remains in custody as inquiries continue into the circumstances of the attack.
