Moments of pure terror unfolded last night, around 19:3 PM, inside the "La Birreria" shopping center in Secondigliano, Naples. A three-year-old boy was sexually assaulted while in the bookstore with his parents.
According to the reconstruction, the child had left his parents' supervision for a few moments when he was approached by a 47-year-old man, sitting on a stool at the back of the shop.
The attempted molestation and the parents' reaction
The conversation between the man and the child was brief: the child, unaware of the danger, responded to the adult's question by explaining that he simply wanted to look at the books. It was at that moment that the 47-year-old, after a brief exchange about the child's gender, allegedly reached out and groped the child's private parts.
The mother, who had witnessed the scene, immediately screamed, attracting her partner's attention. A heated verbal confrontation ensued, during which the attacker—who appeared to be intoxicated—tried to walk away, leaving the child deeply traumatized.
The intervention of the Carabinieri and the arrest
The report to 112 triggered a swift security operation. Carabinieri officers from the Napoli Stella company, assisted by the mall's security staff, located the man shortly thereafter. At the time of his arrest, the 47-year-old was walking in the mall with two girls, aged 2 and 7. It was later discovered that they were his niece and the daughter of an acquaintance, and they were promptly returned to their families.
The arrest was not easy: the suspect, a local man already known to the police, resisted violently, starting a fight with the officers before being finally subdued.
The man, now in prison, will face charges of sexual assault, resisting arrest, and assaulting a public official. A significant detail emerged during the investigations regarding the suspect's clothing: he was wearing overalls from the ASIA waste collection company, even though he was not an employee of the company.
Although there are currently no other similar incidents attributable to the man, the incident has prompted investigators to alert social services for further investigation.
This is very serious, disturbing, and shocking news. I hope justice is served and social services are immediately involved. Parents need to be more careful; the center should increase checks, but without creating panic. We await an impartial investigation.