Naples father beaten by youths who attacked his daughters, then hit by waste truck

The attack in piazza Vanvitelli

According to initial reconstructions reported by Open, around 22:00 on Saturday, 10 October, two girls aged 12 and 16 were harassed by a group of young people in piazza Vanvitelli, a nightlife area in the Vomero district of Naples. Their father intervened and was surrounded by youths who kicked and punched him repeatedly, including after he fell to the ground. Fanpage, citing the mother, gives a different sequence: the younger daughter, 13, was first involved in a verbal dispute, and her older sister, who came to help, was slammed face first into a car windshield. Fanpage gives the father's age as 40, while Adnkronos, Open and Tgcom24 say 50.

As he lay on the asphalt, a waste truck run by Asia, the company that collects waste in Naples, passed over him. Adnkronos and Open say it crushed his leg, while Fanpage reports only that it hit a leg.

Hospital care

He was taken to the Cardarelli hospital in Naples, where Adnkronos reports he was classed as red code, meaning critical. Adnkronos and Open say he underwent urgent surgery overnight to try to avoid amputation. Fanpage reports that he was taken to the operating theatre, but surgery was ultimately not needed, that he will be kept under observation for several days, and that no orthopaedic problems have emerged, so the accounts conflict. Fanpage also reports that he is still in shock and has asked about his daughters from his hospital bed. The older daughter was taken to the Fatebenefratelli hospital with neck bruising and a 30-day prognosis.

Investigations and identifications

Carabinieri have identified about ten youths, all very young, whom Fanpage says took part in the beating in the early hours of Sunday, 11 October. They are analysing security camera footage and social media videos, and no one has yet been reported. Open says investigators are also using cameras in the square, which lies in one of Naples' so-called red zones. ANSA reports that the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office is working on identifying those responsible, and separately mentions the stabbing of a minor near piazza Dante.

Prefect's response and political reaction

The prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, convened the provincial committee for public order and security. He announced 'very targeted' measures in Vomero and piazza Dante, extra control services in Porta Nolana and piazza Garibaldi, a fixed patrol back at Porta Capuana, and stronger video surveillance in piazza Vanvitelli and other Vomero streets. On the investigation he said:

The identification of the perpetrators, as the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office is doing energetically, is a sign also given for deterrence purposes.

Francesco Emilio Borrelli, a deputy of Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, shared the footage on social media, describing 'urban guerrilla warfare' according to Open. His post read:

Here are the images of the very serious beating by a group of boys on Saturday night in piazza Vanvitelli... and the subsequent running over by the Asia vehicle. The man is in red code at the Cardarelli and has already undergone a delicate operation.

Residents and civic groups

The Valori Collinari committee, led by Gennaro Capodanno, has announced a sit-in and civic patrols, Il Messaggero reports. Il Messaggero also quotes Borrelli saying youth violence in Naples is out of control. Nelide Milano of the Rete per la Sicurezza considers the red zone insufficient and says residents are not asking for repression, but for the chance to live in the city peacefully.