An 83-year-old woman was killed after a 70-year-old neighbour jumped from a fourth-floor balcony in Milan on Sunday and landed on her in the building courtyard, police said. Carabinieri investigators have charged the man with involuntary manslaughter.
The incident occurred at about 6 p.m. on Sept. 14 on Via Fratelli di Dio in the Baggio district, where the two lived in the same building, authorities said. Emergency responders found the woman, identified by local reports as Francesca Manno, unresponsive in the courtyard and attempted resuscitation, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The man survived the fall and was taken to Niguarda Hospital in critical but not life-threatening condition, where he was treated for multiple leg fractures.
Carabinieri from the Mobile Radio Unit and the San Cristoforo station, led by Commander Paolo Franchina, responded to the scene and reconstructed the events, officials said. Investigators initially treated the incident as a possible double suicide, but subsequent inquiries determined the two were not related and that the man’s jump struck the woman, causing her death.
The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the circumstances of the fall, and the 70-year-old was charged with involuntary manslaughter for causing the fatal injury. Italian authorities typically proceed with criminal charges after reconstructing events that lead to an unintended death, leaving determination of intent and any further legal action to the courts.
Neighbours and emergency personnel who arrived at the scene gave statements to investigators, who collected evidence in the courtyard and in the building. The man remained under medical care while authorities completed their initial inquiries. No further details about his identity beyond his age or about any prior contact between the two residents were released by police.
The case has drawn attention in Milan because of the unusual circumstances: a fall from an upper-floor balcony by someone attempting suicide that unintentionally struck another resident below. Investigations into similar incidents typically seek to establish the precise sequence of events, whether criminal negligence occurred and whether additional charges or civil proceedings are warranted. Local prosecutors will determine how to proceed after receiving the full police report.