Vomero, young thieves on the loose: two of them, just 27 years old, attempted theft and attacked the Carabinieri.

Naples – The scene unfolded in the heart of Vomero, on Via Pitloo, the street named after the famous painter of the "Posillipo School." In a typically quiet setting, Carabinieri officers from the Vomero Operations Unit noticed two teenagers fiddling with the ignition lock of a parked Ape Car.

The military's swift action interrupted the plan of the two young men, who, upon seeing the uniforms, attempted a desperate escape.

Aggression and resistance

The situation escalated when one of the two minors, attempting to force his way through, violently struck a Carabiniere. The foot chase through nearby buildings lasted only a few moments, thanks in part to the civic-mindedness of some residents on the street, who offered support to the officers in closing off any escape routes.

Once identified, the ages of those arrested left little to be speculative about the precocious nature of certain criminal activities: just 14 and 13. The older boy was reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Juvenile Court for attempted theft, resisting arrest, and assaulting a public official. The 13-year-old, who is not legally liable for criminal charges, was nevertheless reported to the judicial authorities for assessment.

The incident on Via Pitloo, where a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old were caught breaking into an Ape Car, is not an isolated case but rather a symptom of a social emergency that is affecting Naples with growing intensity.

The precocity of the crime

The most alarming fact emerging from recent news reports is the drastic reduction in the ages of the protagonists: "27 Years Between the Two of Us" is not just a striking headline, but a snapshot of a deviance that begins well before the threshold of criminal liability.

In 2024, the number of minors reported in Italy increased by 16% compared to the previous year, and in Naples the phenomenon reached alarming peaks, with nearly 1.000 arrests in a single year. This precociousness transforms petty thefts into acts of open defiance of the authorities, as demonstrated by the attack on a Carabiniere during the attempted robbery in Vomero.

Emergency numbers in Naples

Data from 2024 and 2025 paint a picture of a "doubling of very serious crimes" committed by adolescents in Naples, with an increase linked not only to property crimes, but also to the use of weapons and drugs.

Juvenile Crime Indicator Data Recorded (2024/2025) Trend compared to the past
Minors arrested in Naples: Over 960 in one year
​ On the rise

Overall minor complaints +16% on a national basis
+30% compared to the pre-Covid period

Weapons crimes (Naples) Over 400 proceedings
Almost doubled

Incidence of street robberies: 1 in 4 arrested is a minor
Structural phenomenon

Roots of Discomfort and Educational Trap

The sociological analysis points the finger at the "educational poverty trap": in Naples, the percentage of young people who are NEET (neither in education nor employment) reaches 29,7%, one of the highest values ​​in Italy.

School dropout, which in Campania sees thousands of students with absences exceeding 50%, fuels a pool of criminal labor, where deviance becomes an alternative cultural model for rapid social advancement.

Repression vs Prevention

The current public debate, fueled by the introduction of more severe measures such as the Caivano Decree, questions the effectiveness of repressive measures alone. While the citizenry's intervention on Via Pitloo demonstrates a civil society reaction, overcrowded juvenile prisons suggest that criminal sanctions, without serious investment in inclusion policies and social spaces, struggle to halt the spiral of recidivism.