Torre del Greco: Second officer seriously injured in a car accident; hunt continues for SUV driver.

A night Torre del Greco won't soon forget. At two in the morning, on Viale Europa, a wide street often the scene of races and accidents, a speeding SUV struck a State Police patrol car.

The impact was extremely violent: the service car was thrown over ten meters, knocking down a fence and ending up in a field. The crumpled metal and the silence following the crash created a scene of devastation that rescuers described as "chilling."

The patrol car was carrying two officers from the Torre del Greco police station, engaged in routine territorial patrol. Aniello Scarpati, 47, assistant chief coordinator, had no chance: he died instantly.

Colleague Ciro Cozzolino was extracted from the wreckage in critical condition. He was rushed to the Ospedale del Mare in Naples, where he is currently in intensive care following a delicate surgical procedure. His condition remains critical. He is intubated and on mechanical ventilation with an embolized and reduced pelvic fracture and various bruises.

The dynamics and the escape

According to initial reports from the Highway Police and the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor's Office, the SUV, approaching a curve at high speed, crossed into the oncoming lane, hitting the patrol car head-on.

There were six people on board the off-road vehicle, including three minors.

During the morning, four of the passengers were located at Maresca Hospital in Torre del Greco, where they had presented themselves for treatment. Among them was a man accompanied by his three minor daughters. A fifth young man later reported himself to the local police station.

The alleged driver of the SUV, a 28-year-old local man already known to law enforcement, remains under investigation. His whereabouts are the focus of the investigation coordinated by the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor's Office and the Naples Juvenile Justice Office, which is reconstructing the roles and responsibilities of each passenger.

The driver is wanted: he is a 28-year-old from Torre del Greco, known to the police.

Torre del Greco awoke in mourning. Near the police station, colleagues and residents gathered in silence to pay tribute to Aniello Scarpati, a respected police officer, husband, and father.

"He was a generous person, always ready to lend a hand, both on and off duty," his colleagues say. "He didn't deserve to die like this, on a normal work night, due to someone's recklessness."

Investigators are now working to determine whether the group in the SUV had spent the evening at local clubs and whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The severely damaged vehicle has been seized for technical inspection.

Meanwhile, the hunt for the hit-and-run driver continues. Surveillance cameras installed along Viale Europa and surrounding areas could provide crucial images to confirm the circumstances and identify the fugitive.