A man with a history of mental illness drove a car into pedestrians in a northern Italian city, injuring eight people before being restrained by bystanders.
On 16 May 2026, Italian authorities revealed that a driver with a history of mental health issues drove into a crowd in Modena, northern Italy, resulting in eight injuries, four of them critical.
Footage from surveillance cameras released by Italian media showed a car speeding into the city center, crowded with pedestrians and cyclists.
Fabrizia Triolo, Governor of Modena Province, stated that the driver, an Italian man of Moroccan descent, hit several people before crashing into a shop window and striking a woman forcefully.
The driver attempted to flee the scene but was chased and surrounded by four witnesses; however, he pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the group, causing injury.
The governor reported that eight people were taken to hospital, including German and Polish nationals; four are in critical condition, and one required double leg amputation surgery.
The driver, born in 1995, holds a degree in economics and has no criminal record but experienced a period of “psychological instability” in 2022.
“He previously received treatment at a mental health center for schizoid personality disorder but after an initial observation period in care, contact was lost and his whereabouts became unknown,” Triolo added.
Furthermore, tests confirmed the driver was not under the influence of psychoactive or narcotic substances. Authorities have since searched his residence near Modena.
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