Metropark Naples: Drunk passenger attacks driver and then runs away

Naples – Violence and terror erupted at the Metropark terminus at Naples Central Station yesterday afternoon, where a non-EU passenger, clearly intoxicated, caused panic on the 16:00 PM AIRCAMPANIA bus bound for Foggia.

The man, who boarded during the boarding process, first attacked the driver with an attempted headbutt, then grabbed an off-duty municipal police officer who was trying to calm him down.

The scene unfolded before the shocked eyes of the other passengers. When the driver asked for his ticket, the drunk passenger began verbally abusing him, attempting to hit him on the head.

A traffic policeman from the Naples province command, who was a passenger on the vehicle, intervened to break up the fight. But the situation escalated: the attacker grabbed him by the throat, squeezing until the officer struggled to free himself.

Escape amidst insults

Despite the immediate intervention of law enforcement, alerted by the attacked policeman, the man managed to escape into the streets surrounding the station, but not before hurling a barrage of insults at the driver and the officer. The search was unsuccessful.

But there's another side to the coin, even more bitter: while the driver was being attacked and attempting to manage the emergency, some passengers, who had remained inert throughout the entire scene, began to complain about the delay in their departure. A paradox that captures the collective indifference in the face of daily violence on public transport.

The union's alarm

The OR.SA union has launched an urgent appeal to the authorities: "We demand that the Naples bus terminal be immediately guarded by law enforcement or military personnel, as is done at the EAV and Trenitalia stations. Alternatively, AIRCAMPANIA and other transport companies must organize a private security service."

The union's statement is clear: "Incidents like this are now commonplace: verbal and physical assaults, bullying. We must ensure the safety of travelers and workers before something more serious happens, lest we have to say it was a tragic accident."