26-year-old arrested for violence and kidnapping of a girl lured on social media

The Carabinieri of the Sant'Antonio Abate Station arrested a 26-year-old resident of Castellammare di Stabia at dawn today, September 14, 2026. The man is accused of aggravated sexual violence, personal injury, and aggravated kidnapping against a girl who had just reached the age of majority.

Investigations, coordinated by the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor's Office, reconstructed that the young man had lured the victim via a well-known social network, then tricked her into entering his basement on Corso Alcide De Gasperi. Once inside, he barricaded the door with a radiator, took her phone, and kept her confined for several hours, subjecting her to repeated physical and sexual violence.

The Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Torre Annunziata Court issued the order for pre-trial detention in prison, deeming the man socially dangerous and at risk of repeating crimes of the same severity. The evidence includes the victim's complaint, hospital reports, photographic evidence, and witness testimonies.

The news story originated on the night between August 2nd and 3rd, 2026, when a normal exchange of messages on a social network turned into a deadly trap. The 26-year-old man used the digital platform to establish contact with the 18-year-old girl, following the increasingly common modus operandi of online grooming, which exploits trust and the ease of virtual encounters.

Once the acquaintance was established, the man lured the young woman to an isolated location under his total control: a dark basement inside an apartment building. This transition from virtual to physical space, in a private and prepared environment, marks the moment when the potential threat materialized into a crime. The choice to barricade the door with a heavy object and remove all means of communication highlights premeditation aimed at making any escape or call for help impossible.

Subsequent investigations, launched after the victim filed a report and with the support of people she confided in, allowed for the collection of concrete evidence (such as signs of beatings and the use of wooden beams to immobilize her) that led to the arrest. Pre-trial detention was ordered precisely to immediately halt the possibility that the suspect, deemed particularly dangerous, could carry out other similar incidents while awaiting trial.