A construction van used by the company building Naples Metro Line 10 was stolen in Afragola and later recovered after a brief chase through the town centre, ending with one arrest by the Afragola Local Police.

According to the validated reports, the vehicle was taken while an employee had briefly left it to open the construction site. A worker from the company alerted the police, who then located the vehicle on or near Via Calvanese.

Two people were reportedly aboard the stolen vehicle when it was intercepted.

Wrong-way drive, then flight on foot

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle near Via Calvanese and Via Vittorio Imbriani, the occupants did not stop. Reports say they drove against traffic for approximately 30 metres on Via Calvanese before turning onto Via Torino.

Shortly afterwards, the two occupants abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot in different directions. One was caught after running approximately 500 metres.

The vehicle was recovered. The person who was stopped was taken to the local police offices and then arrested on suspicion of theft. Il Mattino identifies him only by the initials A.P. and gives his age as 32.

The operation was carried out by the Afragola Local Police, commanded by Antonio Piricelli.

What remains unclear

The identity and subsequent legal status of the second person who fled have not been established in the reports.

The arrested man is suspected of theft; guilt has not been established by a final court judgment.

Il Mattino mentions that investigators were examining whether the theft could be connected to a so-called "cavallo di ritorno" scheme, in which a stolen vehicle is later offered back in exchange for money, but no conclusion is reported.

The independently acquired reports place the incident on 29 October 2026; the primary-source page text extracted for this article does not provide a separate incident timestamp.

In brief

  • Stolen: a construction vehicle used for Naples Metro Line 10 works in Afragola, taken while a worker briefly left it to open the site.
  • Intercepted: near Via Calvanese and Via Vittorio Imbriani, after an alert from a company worker.
  • Flight: reported 30-metre wrong-way stretch on Via Calvanese, turn onto Via Torino, then abandonment of the vehicle and flight on foot.
  • Outcome: vehicle recovered; one suspect caught after about 500 metres and arrested on suspicion of theft; second person still unidentified in the available reports.