Driver plows into pedestrians in Modena, 4 seriously injured

Residents in central Modena helped stop a driver from fleeing on foot after he drove onto a sidewalk, struck pedestrians and crashed into a shop window, leaving eight people injured and four in serious or critical condition. The crash unfolded on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in the heart of the northern Italian city, where police later said they had arrested the driver and that there was no further danger.

Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said the driver was a man in his thirties, an Italian national born in Bergamo and a resident of the Modena area. Mezzetti said it appeared the driver deliberately steered onto the sidewalk before hitting several people and smashing into the storefront. He also said the driver got out of the car and brandished a knife, adding that one man who tried to stop him suffered minor injuries. The mayor praised local residents who rushed in as the driver tried to escape, turning the scene from a fast-moving attack into a chaotic struggle in the street.

Emergency crews, including police, Carabinieri and the Financial Police, sealed off the area while ambulances treated victims in the roadway. Some of the more seriously wounded were airlifted to hospitals, underscoring the severity of the crash and the pressure on local medical services as they worked to move the injured quickly. Mezzetti said no one was killed, but he also warned that the condition of some victims remained grave. One woman pinned against the shop window may require the amputation of both legs.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was monitoring the situation and had been in touch with Mezzetti and other officials. She expressed solidarity with the injured and their families and said the person responsible should be held fully accountable. As investigators piece together the sequence of events in the center of Modena, the account now taking shape is not only one of a violent vehicle attack, but of residents who stepped in when the driver tried to run.