A 47-year-old man of Romanian origin attempted to abduct a one-and-a-half-year-old girl from a supermarket in Bergamo, Italy, on Saturday afternoon, February 15, 2026. The girl sustained a broken femur during the incident and is currently hospitalized.
The attempted kidnapping occurred as the girl and her parents were exiting the Essalunga shopping center. Security camera footage shows the man approaching the family and forcibly grabbing the child, according to reporting from VRT NWS. The mother held onto her daughter, preventing the man from immediately fleeing with her, while the father intervened.
“The man seemed not to fully realize what he had done,” stated Marco Cadeddu of the Bergamo police, as reported by VRT NWS. Authorities have taken the man into custody on charges of attempted kidnapping and assault. He is known to be homeless and, according to initial reports, has no prior criminal record.
The mother was reportedly thrown to the ground during the struggle and the man held the child tightly, resulting in the leg fracture. Linda.nl reported that the girl is receiving medical care at the Paus Johannes XXIII hospital.
Police are currently investigating the man’s motives. The incident has prompted a police investigation into the man’s background and mental state, though authorities have cautioned against speculation at this early stage. The man had been reportedly wandering through Italy for some time prior to the incident.
The case echoes a separate, unrelated incident in the Netherlands in 2023, where Ahmet Y., a 54-year-old man from Amersfoort, was convicted of kidnapping and sexually abusing a 1.5-year-old child in Barneveld. Y. Received a four-year prison sentence followed by compulsory psychiatric treatment and a five-year contact ban with the victim’s family, according to Loesoe.nl. This case, while distinct, highlights the severity of crimes targeting young children.
Italian authorities have not yet released further details regarding the ongoing investigation in Bergamo, and the man remains in custody.
