A bouncer was mauled by a gang outside a nightclub and died in hospital. A manhunt is underway in Sangineto.

Sangineto – A summer night steeped in blood, the thumping bass replaced by the wailing of emergency services, and yet another tragedy devastating the nightlife of the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea near Cosenza. The young life of Antonio Perrotta, 34, a resident of Fuscaldo, ended in the worst possible way, in the intensive care unit of the Annunziata hospital in Cosenza.

The man, who worked as a security and access control officer at the well-known nightclub "Il Castello" in Sangineto, died from devastating internal injuries sustained during a violent beating upon leaving duty.

The fuse inside and the ambush in the square

According to investigators' findings so far, the spark apparently ignited inside the nightclub. A trivial argument, perhaps a few words exchanged amid the strobe lights and alcohol, occurred between Perrotta and a group of patrons, who are currently being identified. The 34-year-old apparently tried to calm things down or at least restore calm within the club. But the group's resentment was not allayed by their departure.

Waiting outside the venue, in the square in front of the nightclub, the security guard was surrounded by a veritable gang of thugs. The attack was incredibly violent: kicks, punches, and blows were unleashed all over his body.

Left on the ground in pain as the "pack" disappeared into the darkness of the Tyrrhenian night, Perrotta was initially rescued by some acquaintances who accompanied him back to his home in Fuscaldo, unaware of the severity of the internal injuries he had suffered.

The collapse at home and the desperate rush to the Annunziata

In the hours that followed, the 34-year-old's medical condition deteriorated dramatically. As time passed, he developed severe abdominal pain, dizziness, and a heavy nosebleed. His family, realizing the extreme severity of his condition, ordered his immediate transport to the emergency room of the Iannelli Hospital in Cetraro.

There, the doctors immediately understood the critical nature of the situation: the presence of multiple traumas and internal bleeding required immediate emergency transfer to the intensive care unit of the HUB hospital in Cosenza. Every attempt by the medical staff to save him from death was in vain: Antonio Perrotta's heart stopped beating during the night, throwing the entire community of Fuscaldo into despair.

A wide-ranging investigation: the Prosecutor's Office is tightening the investigation.

The Paola Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a homicide investigation into the incident. The investigation is being conducted in close collaboration between the Carabinieri of the Paola Company and patrols from the Cosenza Flying Squad, supported by officers from the Diamante Police Station, under the direct coordination of Chief Prosecutor Domenico Fiordalisi and the on-duty prosecutor.

Investigators are combing through video surveillance footage from the club and surrounding streets to identify the gang members. Several witnesses and clubbers have already been interviewed at the police station. They are seeking evidence of who participated in the brawl and are actively hunting for the perpetrators of the beating.

The shootings of August 15th 2025

The Antonio Perrotta tragedy brutally rekindles the spotlight on a hospitality facility already in the crosshairs of the news and investigators. Exactly one year ago, on the night between August 14th and 15th, 2025, the "Il Castello" nightclub was the scene of a serious act of intimidation: two men on a motorcycle fired several gunshots at the entrance gate, also leaving a threatening message on the premises, forcing the management to cancel the key Ferragosto evening.

The Catanzaro District Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA) then shed light on this incident in early 2026, issuing a precautionary custody order to Giuseppe Scornaienchi—already arrested after a period of hiding as part of the Thyrrenum anti-mafia operation—who was believed to be the alleged perpetrator of the firebombing, framed by biological analyses conducted by the Messina RIS on a neck warmer and by local security cameras.

Now the Prosecutor's Office wants to understand whether the fatal attack on the security guard was the result of a mad brawl that degenerated into a "lowlife" or whether there are connections to more complex criminal contexts that gravitate along the coast.

The pain of a community and the words of the Mayor

Meanwhile, Fuscaldo is experiencing an air of deep mourning. Mayor Giacomo Middea, on behalf of the entire administration and the residents, expressed his condolences and sympathy to the young victim's family: "This is a city that, faced with the death of one of its young fellow citizens, gathers around the family, leaving for a moment only room for grief and disbelief. The municipal administration expresses its utmost confidence in the work of the judicial authorities, certain that the judiciary and law enforcement will succeed in shedding full light on what happened and bringing those responsible to justice."

La Pira Association: 'It's unacceptable to die like this'

"The entire community is united in profound grief over the tragic and untimely passing of Antonio Perrotta, the 33-year-old Fuscaldo resident who was brutally attacked last night while carrying out his duties as a security guard in Sangineto." This is what the Giorgio La Pira Association of Cosenza said about the incident in Sangineto.

Antonio was married, had four children, and worked—he continues—as a laborer at Italbacolor in Fuscaldo. On Saturday evening, he had chosen to sacrifice a few more hours of his time to perform security duties at a club in Sangineto: an extra job to earn a little extra and contribute to his family's needs. A normal evening's work, from which, however, Antonio never returned home. A husband and a father, a tireless worker who, with sacrifice and dedication, worked night shifts to support his family and secure a future for his loved ones.

"It is unacceptable," the Association continues, "and profoundly unjust that lives can be lost in this way, in the workplace, due to blind and brutal youth violence that continues to produce tragic and irreparable consequences. The brutal beating in Sangineto and the recent bloody incidents that continue to stain our territory in Cosenza—from the shooting at the Mamaeli hospital to the unprecedented acts of violence recorded in recent days in Corigliano Calabro—require profound and urgent reflection."