Naples: A car crashes through a balustrade in Mergellina like a bullet; the hunt is on for the escaped driver.

Naples – The manhunt is on for the man who yesterday lost control of his car while speeding, knocking down the historic balustrade in Largo Sermoneta and leaving the vehicle teetering between the sidewalk and the beach below, before disappearing into thin air.

The scene that presented itself to first responders was surreal. The car, described by some eyewitnesses as a veritable "loose cannon," presumably came from Via Caracciolo.

The dynamics and the near tragedy

In a matter of seconds, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which crashed violently into the bronze barriers along the seafront. The railing gave way abruptly, but prevented the car from plummeting completely onto the beach or the rocks below, leaving it suspended in mid-air, in a precarious and terrifying balance.

It's been rightly described as a near-tragedy. The area of ​​Mergellina and Largo Sermoneta was still busy even at night. Only by sheer luck were there no pedestrians, scooters, or other vehicles in that precise path of death. The toll, which could have been dramatic, fortunately amounts to material damage, albeit significant, to public property.

The mystery of the escape

The Municipal Police Accident Unit responded immediately, alerted by shocked passersby. However, when the patrols arrived, the passenger compartment was empty. There was no sign of the driver or any passengers. The driver managed to escape from the twisted wreckage and flee on foot, taking advantage of the initial confusion, before the sirens sounded.

The sudden escape now raises disturbing questions about the motive for such haste: was the car stolen? Was the driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs? Or perhaps without a license or insurance? These are the hypotheses being examined by investigators.

The investigation: cameras and hospitals under scrutiny

The investigation is ongoing. The "White Helmets" immediately acquired the license plate number of the crashed vehicle to trace the owner, although this doesn't guarantee immediate identification of the actual driver.

Footage from local surveillance cameras, both municipal and those from Mergellina's commercial businesses, will be crucial. These cameras may have captured the mad dash and, more importantly, the fugitive's face as he fled.

At the same time, the emergency rooms of the city hospitals (Loreto Mare, Cardarelli, San Paolo) were monitored: it is highly likely that the violent impact and the explosion of the airbags caused injuries or bruises to the hit-and-run driver, forcing him to seek medical care under false pretenses or with convenient excuses.