Nola shock: gang of youths massacre a North African homeless man at the station

Nola – A night of terror tore away the veil of apparent normality at the Nola train station, a hub for commuters and students in the heart of the Nola countryside.

On Saturday evening, around 11:00 PM, a group of at least five young men attacked with unprecedented ferocity an undocumented man, likely of North African origin and homeless. Kicking, punching, and using sticks: a blind and gratuitous assault that left the victim sprawled on the sidewalk, his face swollen and his lungs damaged, compromising his breathing.

The incident, which occurred in an area known for its degradation and unsafe nighttime conditions, has brought to light a long-standing problem: youth deviance, which preys on the most vulnerable, making diversity an easy target.

According to initial police reconstructions, the attack may have been motivated by a surge of racial hatred, a hypothesis that emerges from the testimonies collected and from the images from the video surveillance cameras.

"Guilty only of existing on the margins," as a local Caritas volunteer, who knew the victim by sight from evening food distributions, bitterly commented. The heroic intervention and last-minute rescue: The victim's heart-rending screams pierced the silence of the night, attracting the attention of a supervisor at a construction site adjacent to the station.

With courage that made all the difference, the man – a 52-year-old local man who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals – rushed to the scene, shouting and brandishing a flashlight to disperse the herd.

“I saw five shadows trampling him like a garbage bag,” he told the police, his voice still shaking.

The supervisor immediately called 118: the ambulance arrived within minutes, rushing the injured man to the Nola hospital. The man, estimated to be between 40 and 45 years old, remains in serious condition. Hospitalized in the intensive care unit with a guarded prognosis, he suffers from multiple facial contusions, nasal fractures, and a pulmonary contusion that required oxygen therapy.

The victim, still not formally identified due to a lack of documentation, was described by doctors as "a body battered by the street, but with a strength that kept him alive."

Investigations are now focused on reconstructing his whereabouts: it's believed he was an illegal migrant, long-term in Italy, who frequented the station seeking shelter or a hot meal. The hunt for the pack: cameras and testimonies under scrutiny. Officers from the Nola police station, led by Deputy Police Commissioner Maria Grazia Esposito, are working tirelessly. The cameras at the station and a nearby business captured fragments of the attack: blurry faces, but recognizable movements that could pinpoint the perpetrators.

The group, according to initial descriptions, was "well-organized, like a punitive expedition," and one of the boys wore a hood with the logo of a local football team, a clue that could speed up identification. The investigation, coordinated by the Nola prosecutor's office, favors the racial hatred hypothesis: the victim was apparently addressed with xenophobic insults before the attack.

Echoes of the Past: Sasha's Ghost and Nola's Open Wound

This brutal raid recalls a very dark chapter in local history, dating back to 2015. Ten years ago, right near the station, another homeless man – Sasha, a 38-year-old Czech citizen – was massacred by a gang of drunken youths.

Kicked and punched until he was nearly dead: Sasha miraculously survived, but the episode sparked a wave of public outrage. The city mobilized with vigils and petitions, and the perpetrators—four minors—ended up in a rehabilitation center.