An Italian Army soldier, off duty and in civilian clothes, intervened in Cagliari after noticing a 15-year-old girl in difficulty, surrounded by a group of young foreigners near the bus stop in piazza Matteotti.

The protagonist of this story is Samuele Fasolo, 20 years old, soldier of the 3rd Reggimento Bersaglieri of the Brigata "Sassari", a unit stationed at Capo Teulada. The episode occurred on the evening of Wednesday, September 9, around 10 p.m., and was made public several days later by the girl's mother through social media.

Alone at the bus stop for just a few minutes

According to what was reported by the girl's mother and covered by the local press, the fifteen-year-old, who lives in the Cagliari hinterland, had remained alone at the bus stop for just a few minutes.

The person who was with her had in fact taken a different bus, while the vehicle that the girl was supposed to use had in the meantime returned to the depot.

It was precisely during that brief time interval that the young girl was approached by five young men, who surrounded her and intimidated her with threatening behavior and gestures. Some accounts also report that the girl was pinned against a wall.

The screams and crying of the fifteen-year-old caught the attention of Fasolo, who was nearby.

The bersagliere's intervention

The soldier, despite being off duty and in civilian clothes, immediately approached the scene.

Despite the numerical superiority of the group, the young bersagliere intervened and managed to drive away the young men and bring the fifteen-year-old out of the dangerous situation.

His intervention, however, did not end with the group leaving.

The girl was still deeply shaken. Fasolo therefore stayed by her side, reassured her, and waited together with the fifteen-year-old for a family member to arrive, making sure she could leave the area safely.

A simple action, but one that takes on particular significance precisely because it was carried out outside of working hours, without uniform and without the young soldier being required to intervene.

The mother's gratitude

It was the fifteen-year-old's mother who made the incident public.

In the message posted on social media, the woman expressed deep gratitude toward the soldier:

«I don't know who you are, but honor to you, soldier. Infinitely grateful for saving my daughter».

The post later made it possible to identify the young man who intervened as Samuele Fasolo, member of the 3rd Reggimento Bersaglieri.

An area already subject to enhanced controls

The episode is also part of a particularly delicate context for the area between piazza Matteotti, piazza del Carmine, via Sassari and viale La Playa, which had already been subject in the preceding weeks to enhanced control measures and extraordinary services by law enforcement agencies.

In August, in the same area, the Carabinieri had carried out checks with dozens of identifications following additional incidents of violence and urban decay.

What happened to the fifteen-year-old therefore remains an incident for which the competent authorities will eventually define with precision the responsibilities and legal classification of the facts.

However, the gesture of the young bersagliere remains: he saw a girl in evident difficulty, assessed that she was in danger and intervened, then staying with her until her family arrived.

An intervention carried out without a uniform, but with that sense of responsibility that, even off duty, continues to accompany those who wear the insignia.