Four Italian civilians intervened and overpowered a driver after a car drove into a crowd of pedestrians in Modena, Italy on Saturday, according to the city’s mayor, who said the suspect also emerged from the vehicle armed with a knife.
“The madman, I don’t know what to call him, the criminal who committed this act, he got out of the car brandishing a knife,” Mayor Massimo Mezzetti told state-owned news agency RAI. “Four citizens, whom I thank, captured him and handed him over to law enforcement.”
Mezzetti said the vehicle struck pedestrians along Via Emilia, a busy street in the center of Modena, leaving multiple people injured, including a woman who later required leg amputations after being hit head-on.
At a later briefing, Prefect Fabrizio Triolo confirmed that seven people were injured in total, while an additional individual told Reuters they were hurt when the suspect allegedly attacked them with a knife.
Authorities also said two tourists, one from Germany and another from Poland, were among the wounded in the incident.
Dr. Lesley De Pietri, director of the Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit at Baggiovara Civil Hospital, said two victims remain in “extremely serious condition” and are still hospitalized.
Triolo added that the suspect, a man born in 1995 with a degree in business administration, is currently unemployed.
He also noted that the man had previously been “referred to the mental health center for schizoid (personality) disorders” in 2022 but was later lost to follow-up after observation.
“At the time of his arrest, he was not under the influence of psychotropic substances, so he appeared to be lucid,” Triolo said. “The investigative scenario is obviously evolving, and we cannot provide further information on this matter.”
Mezzetti praised the civilians who restrained the suspect, noting the danger they faced during the intervention.
“I want to thank these citizens,” Mezzetti said of the four who apprehended the suspected driver. “The man was also armed with a knife; they showed courage and great civic sense. My deepest thanks go to them in this dramatic moment.”
He also confirmed that one of the civilians sustained a minor injury during the struggle when the suspect used the knife.
Luca Signorelli, speaking to Reuters, said he had been helping an injured woman when the attacker attempted to flee.
“I chased him,” Signorelli said, adding that several others followed to assist. “He disappeared behind a row of cars, then suddenly reappeared holding a knife in his hands.”
“A fight broke out,” said Signorelli. “I was stabbed twice, once in the heart and once in the head. I managed to dodge one of the two, and during the other one I grabbed his wrist and blocked him.”
Witnesses told Reuters the injured woman had been pinned against a shopfront, with her legs severely damaged by the impact of the vehicle.
“He crushed her right up against the shop window,” said one witness.
The suspect is currently being questioned at a local police station, while authorities say further updates will be provided as the investigation continues.
Antonio Tajani said on social media that he was in contact with the interior minister for updates and thanked law enforcement for the arrest.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the attack as “extremely serious” and expressed solidarity with the injured and their families.
“I express my closeness to the injured people and their families,” Meloni wrote. “I also extend thanks to the citizens who courageously intervened to stop the perpetrator and to the law enforcement agencies for their response.”
“I have spoken with the Mayor and remain in constant contact with the authorities to follow the developments of the situation,” she continued. “I trust that the perpetrator will be held fully accountable for his actions.”
