The 19-year-old who faked the discovery of the newborn speaks out: "I was overwhelmed by panic and the parents' fear."

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19-Year-Old Who Faked Finding Newborn Speaks Out I Was Overwhelmed By Panic And Parental Fear 2026 08 31

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Piugnataro Maggiore – "I was so anxious I couldn't understand anything, but I never left the baby alone: I always held him tightly in my arms." The 19-year-old from the province of Caserta broke his silence when, on the night between Friday and Saturday, he called emergency services, claiming he had accidentally found a newborn baby on the street. In reality, the baby was his son, born a few hours earlier at home.

Confession and home birth

Speaking on the program "Truità Nascoste – Il Diario," hosted by Milo Infante on Canale 5, the young man reconstructed the dramatic moments that drove him to make up the truth. "I had researched online to figure out how to have my partner give birth at home," he explained. Fear of family judgment was what drove the two young people—he, 19, and she, just 16—to manage the birth in complete isolation: "We were too afraid of our parents' reaction." Overwhelmed by anxiety over the condition of the girl who remained at home and the newborn, the new father then chose to call for help, fabricating the story of the discovery so that doctors could take care of the child.

Solidarity race in the Caserta area

As the human and psychological aspects of the case unfold, a vast support network has been established in Pignataro Maggiore. Not only local institutions, social services, and the Church, but the entire town community is rallying around the two very young parents.

Among those taking action is "L'Officina dell'Amore," a local charity led by president Maria Rosaria Esposito. The association, usually committed to supporting the pediatric oncology department at Pausilipon Hospital in Naples, has said it is ready to provide tangible material assistance—such as cribs, strollers, and early childhood equipment—as soon as families formalize their needs.

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