An Italian YouTuber was driving a rented Lamborghini SUV as part of a stunt when he crashed into the Smart car in Rome, killing a five-year-old boy and injuring his mother and four-year-old sister.
Matteo Di Pietro, 20, was reportedly driving the blue Lamborghini Urus with four other YouTubers as passengers when he crashed head-on with the family’s Smart Farfour at around 4pm on Wednesday.
Manuel Proietti, five, was rushed to a hospital in Ostia along with his mother and sister, but the little boy died soon after.
Manuel’s mother Elena Uccello, 29, is still being treated in hospital for her injuries, while his four-year-old sister, whose name has not been released, was released into the care of her paternal grandparents.
Locals claim the YouTubers in the SUV had tried to overtake a car at high speed while taunting other drivers as part of a social media stunt before crashing head-on with the family’s smart car after Elena dropped her children from kindergarten fetched.
Manuel Proietti, five, (left) was rushed to a hospital in Ostia along with his mother and sister, but the little boy died shortly afterwards. Manuel’s mother Elena Uccello, 29, (center) is still being treated in hospital for her injuries, while his four-year-old sister (right), who has not been named, was released into the care of her paternal grandparents
Matteo Di Pietro, 20, (pictured) was reportedly driving the blue Lamborghini Urus with four other YouTubers as passengers when he crashed head-on with the family’s Smart Farfour around 4pm Wednesday
Locals claim the YouTubers in the SUV had tried to overtake a car at high speed while taunting other drivers as part of a social media stunt before colliding head-on with the family’s smart car (Picture: The scene)
Just two hours before the crash, social media influencer Vito Loiacono, who was a passenger in the Lamborghini, had posted a video on his TikTok mocking smart cars for being cheap compared to his rented sports car.
“That woman in the smart car, what is she doing? Hello dear, your car costs 300 euros, used, from Concad (Italian store). Mine costs a billion, it’s worth as much as Amazon,” Loiacano says in the video from the Lamborghini.
Hours later, Loiacano joined driver Di Pietro and three other YouTubers, who have more than 600,000 followers, for a stunt in the Lamborghini. During this fateful ride, they crashed into Elena’s car, killing her five-year-old son and injuring her four-year-old daughter.
Residents said they heard a “terrifying bang” only to discover a man was giving Manuel first aid at the scene of the crash.
“I was home when I heard a terrifying bang and went outside. Within a few minutes, a lot of people came and there was a boy who gave first aid to the child and tried to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation,” said a resident. Il Messaggero. “I couldn’t get close because it was a horrifying scene.”
Pieces of the Lamborghini’s blue body still remain on the sidewalk next to the crash site, cut away by the massive impact of the SUV’s crash.
The YouTubers had participated in a social media challenge where influencers performed stunts to win prizes, reports Corriere della Sera.
Prosecutors in Rome are investigating Di Pietro for vehicular homicide and serious injury, while traffic police try to decipher who filmed the stunts from the Lamborghini.
Just two hours before the crash, social media influencer Vito Loiacono, who was a passenger in the Lamborghini, had posted a video on his TikTok mocking smart cars for being cheap compared to his rented sports car
Initial reports had suggested that Loiacono (pictured) was driving the Lamborghini at the time of the crash, but it was later confirmed that Di Pietro was behind the wheel.
They seized the phones of the five YouTubers, who belong to the group TheBorderline.
The YouTubers documented their challenges on social media and in one video, Loiacono was seen kissing the Lamborghini before saying, “I’m the main character of Fast & Furious.” What is this lever for? It’s to go into space.’
Initial reports had suggested that Loiacono was driving the Lamborghini at the time of the crash, but it was later confirmed that Di Pietro was behind the wheel.
Shortly after the crash, Loiacono wrote on an Instagram post, “The trauma I am going through is indescribable. I just want to say that I’ve never been behind the wheel and I have a close relationship with the victim’s family.’
When news of the crash broke, Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, said repeat offenders who cause fatal accidents should lose their driver’s license for life.
Salvini said today: ‘A five year old boy died just outside Rome, apparently a social media challenge took place involving five YouTubers in a Lamborghini and they crushed this kid.
“If you’re a repeat offender and take someone’s life because you’re a jerk behind the wheel, you don’t see your driver’s license for the rest of your life, I won’t suspend it for a few months.”
Lazio regional councilor Alessio D’Amato said the social media accounts of those involved in the crash should be closed immediately.
“Today, I join the pain of little Manuel’s family in the hope that his mother and little sister can recover quickly, knowing that the parents’ immense pain will not be able to heal,” said D’Amato.