Homeless Man Dies on the Street

There is still mystery surrounding the death of a 49-year-old Romanian man whose body was found on a bench by passersby on via Santa Caterina d’Alessandria on New Year’s Day.  The man, apparently homeless, was not dressed warmly and had apparently died from heart failure caused by below freezing night temperatures.

The mystery about the homeless man who died on the street derives from the fact that, along with an identity card, he was found in possession of 2,700 euros, more than enough needed to find some type of shelter.  In addition, no social worker in Florence had ever met him, nor had he ever been ever given a free meal at the Caritas soup kitchen nor asked for access to dorms or rooms designated for the homeless in Florence during the winter months.

Police has ascertained that the deceased had not committed any sort of a crime in Italy, but also that a person with the same name had died in 2019.

Investigations are continuing.  To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.