Castellammare, 78-year-old man arrested for setting fire to neighbor's door

Far from being a good neighbor. In Castellammare di Stabia, a condominium dispute escalated into a potentially tragic act: a 78-year-old man attempted to set fire to the upstairs neighbor's house because he was bothered by the noise coming from the apartment.

According to the reconstruction by the Carabinieri of the Castellammare di Stabia company, the incident occurred during the night in a building at Via Brambilla 31. The elderly man allegedly doused the front door of a fifth-floor apartment with flammable liquid and then set it on fire, attempting to attack the neighbors who, he claimed, were disturbing him.

The quick thinking of those inside the home prevented the worst. Awakened by strange noises, the residents managed to put out the flames with great difficulty. One of the residents, a 38-year-old pregnant woman, sustained injuries to her feet during the frantic extinguishing process: doctors diagnosed the injuries as healing within thirty days.

Firefighters also responded to the scene and confirmed the arson. A subsequent search of the elderly man's apartment led to the seizure of a canister containing gasoline and a knife he was carrying. They also recovered the lighter that was believed to have been used to start the blaze.

The 78-year-old, arrested on charges of arson and assault, has been transferred to prison. Investigators are reconstructing the neighborly relationship, already marked by tension and conflict, that led the man to commit this insane act.