Gragnano has removed an illegal altar dedicated to Alfonso Cesarano, the boss killed in August 2025.

Gragnano – Two candles, flowers, and a ceramic tile with the photograph of Alfonso Cesarano, the 34-year-old murdered on August 29, 2025, in Via Cappella della Guardia. The Carabinieri removed the illegal item, which appeared on the victim's birthday.

The investigation into the crime has been breakthrough with the arrests of three people and the cooperation of the alleged perpetrator, Aniello Mirante, with the justice system. Investigators' work to reconstruct the instigators and motive for the attack remains crucial.

The illegal altar on the street of the ambush

An image, some flowers, and two lit candles. A small votive altar appeared on Via Cappella della Guardia, in Gragnano, to remember Alfonso Cesarano, the 34-year-old killed in a Camorra-related ambush on August 29, 2025. This illegal structure echoes a practice already seen in other towns in the province of Naples, where votive shrines and images dedicated to individuals connected to criminal circles can become symbols of memory, belonging, or presence in the area.

He was identified by the Carabinieri of the Gragnano station, engaged in checks ordered by the Castellammare di Stabia company to combat crime and monitor the presence of organized crime.

The work consisted of two candles, a ceramic tile with Cesarano's photograph, some flowers, and the initials "C" and "A." The artifact was removed. One detail didn't go unnoticed by investigators: the altar would have appeared on the murdered man's birthday.

The Carabinieri are continuing their investigation to identify the person who created the votive shrine. The investigation is being coordinated by the Torre Annunziata Public Prosecutor's Office and the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate.

The execution in broad daylight: five shots against Cesarano

To understand the significance of the altar, we must go back to the afternoon of August 29, 2025, when Alfonso Cesarano was murdered on Via Cappella della Guardia, while returning home on his scooter.

The man, known in local criminal circles and believed to be close to the Di Martino clan, was hit by five gunshots. The burst of gunfire left not even his dog with him safe from harm.

Cesarano, the son of a family of pasta makers and originally from Lettere, was serving house arrest for a previous attempted murder case. He was wearing an electronic bracelet but had been granted permission to leave for work.

Investigators believe the crime fits into the criminal dynamics of the Lattari Mountains, an area marked by drug trafficking. Cesarano had already escaped a previous ambush: in December 2023, he was wounded in a Kalashnikov attack near his family's pasta factory.

The three arrests and the reconstruction of the commando

Investigations by the Carabinieri of the Torre Annunziata Investigative Unit, coordinated by the Naples DDA, led to the arrest of three people in September 2025: Aniello Mirante, Salvatore Bifulco, and Rita Letizia Maugeri.

According to the prosecution's reconstruction, Mirante was the actual perpetrator of the murder, while Bifulco drove the scooter used to reach the victim. Maugeri is accused of acting as an insider, contributing to the logistical preparation of the crime.

Investigators reconstructed the movements of the alleged members of the commando through images from public and private security cameras. The investigations also led to the identification of the Boscoreale garage used to hide the scooter used in the ambush.

All three are charged with mafia-related homicide. Individual responsibilities remain under judicial scrutiny.

The killer becomes a collaborator of justice

A decisive step in the investigation came with Aniello Mirante's decision to cooperate with justice. According to investigative and journalistic reconstructions, the alleged killer confessed to shooting Cesarano and provided investigators with useful information, including where to look for the weapon used in the crime.

Mirante also implicated Bifulco and Maugeri, describing their respective roles in the planning and execution of the ambush. His statements are being verified and must be verified by investigators.

The collaborator may have also helped clarify questions about the motive and possible instigators. The investigative hypothesis is that the murder occurred amidst interests related to drug trafficking and criminal activity in the Monti Lattari area. However, not all aspects of the case have been definitively established.

The trial and the crux of the convictions

In February 2026, the District Anti-Mafia Directorate obtained an immediate trial for Mirante, Bifulco, and Maugeri. The three defendants were then granted direct access to the trial phase, charged with murder aggravated by Camorra methods.

A symbol that brings attention back to the territory

The removal of the shrine thus brings attention to an event that profoundly affected Gragnano. That small artifact, located on the same street where Cesarano was killed, refocuses attention on the relationship between symbols of memory and territorial control.

Investigators are now trying to track down the perpetrators of the installation, while the judicial process continues to clarify every aspect of the ambush: from the planning to the execution, up to the possible identification of the instigators and the final motive.