Stalker Arrested, Throws Acid on Car of Woman He Was Stalking

Macerata Campania – A new case of persecutory obsession adds to the worrying phenomenon of attacks and harassment against women.

I police of the Macerata Campania station arrested yesterday afternoon a 43-year-old from Recale, believed to be responsible for stalking and aggravated damage against a woman he did not know personally and with whom he had never had any kind of relationship.

The escalation of violence

The victim, frightened and forced to consider leaving her home for fear of further attacks, had already reported a series of damages to her car in the past months: broken windshield, scratched bodywork and, finally, on the evening of June 25, the most serious act: a throwing of corrosive acid on the right side of the car and on the windshield, with extensive damage also inside the trunk.

The investigation and arrest

Thanks to surveillance footage and investigative evidence, the Carabinieri identified and stopped the alleged perpetrator, finding him repeatedly in unjustified stakeout near the woman's home. Taken to the barracks, the man did not provide any plausible explanation for his obsessive behavior.

After the formalities, he was transferred to the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, awaiting the judgment of the judicial authorities.

A growing phenomenon

The episode brings the spotlight back on the worrying increase in cases of stalking and gender violence, often characterized by escalations that start with verbal harassment or damage and then lead to physical aggression. According to the latest data, in Italy one woman in three has suffered at least once in her life some form of persistent persecution or harassment.

"We need a more severe response and greater prevention," comment the anti-violence associations, underlining the importance of immediately reporting the first warning signs.

Meanwhile, the victim from Macerata Campania, now under protection, will have to deal not only with material damage, but also with the psychological trauma of being hunted by a stranger.