Authorities in the northern Italian city of Forli have launched a criminal investigation into a 27-year-old ambulance driver suspected of killing at least five elderly patients during medical transport.
According to the Forli prosecutor’s office, all five victims suffered cardiac arrests while being transported in a non-emergency ambulance. The patients, who were elderly and suffering from serious illnesses, were being moved between their homes or nursing facilities and hospitals or clinics.
Suspicion arose within the ambulance service after four patients transported by the driver died between February and November 2025. In response, the service collaborated with the Carabinieri police to install hidden cameras and recording devices inside the vehicle.
Later that same month, an 85-year-old woman died while being transferred from a cardiac hospital to a rehabilitation center. She suffered a cardiac arrest during the journey and was pronounced dead in the ambulance, according to a Carabinieri spokesperson.
An autopsy conducted on the woman prompted the case to be handed over to prosecutors for further investigation.
The driver, who has not been publicly identified and has not been arrested, worked as part of a two-person ambulance crew that alternated between driving and caring for patients. His lawyer, Gloria Parigi, said he has been suspended from duty and has worked with the service since 2023.
“He is shocked by what is emerging,” Parigi told local media. “He proclaims his innocence in a matter that has turned his life upside down. He has made himself available to the judicial authorities because he has nothing to hide. This is why he has requested a hearing by the prosecutor’s office.”
Investigators said the deaths occurred either during transportation or shortly afterward, while the suspect was in the rear of the ambulance with the patients.
“The deaths may have occurred by means of poisonous substances or other insidious means,” the prosecutor’s spokesman said, adding that the suspect could face charges of multiple voluntary homicide later this week.
