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A U.S. Air Force servicewoman was reportedly placed under house arrest at the U.S. Air Force Aviano Air Base after allegedly hitting and killing a 15-year-old boy while driving drunk in northern Italy on Sunday.
The 20-year-old airwoman, who remains unidentified, crashed into the curb of a roundabout at approximately 2:30 a.m. Sunday in a town about nine miles from the air base, according to Italian media. Locals have complained that the roundabout was poorly lit.
The boy, who has been identified by Italian media as 15-year-old Giovanni Zanier, was reportedly with two of his friends while walking along a cycling path beside the road when the servicewoman hit him, the impact of which sent his body flying dozens of yards away.
Zanier, whose friends were not injured, was pronounced dead at the hospital. The local prosecutor told The Daily Beast that the driver was legally drunk at the time of the accident.
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F-16 jet fighters sit on the tarmac at the Aviano air base on March 25, 2011.
(GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
Under a military treaty between the United States and Italy, U.S. military authorities are able to take over jurisdiction of the case.
The driver was placed under house arrest on the air base while the local prosecutors’ investigation continues, according to local Italian media, which also reported that the servicewoman suffered minor injuries and stopped to help and call for medical assistance following the incident.
The Air Force did not immediately respond to request for comment from Fox News Digital, but U.S. military authorities expressed condolences to Zanier’s family and community, explaining that they are “working in close collaboration with the Italian base command team and Italian law enforcement agencies,” according to Stars and Stripes.
An F-16 lands in front of a C-17 at the Aviano Air Base on March 25, 2011.
(GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)
“While the investigation proceeds, 31st Fighter Wing would like to express our deepest condolences for this morning’s tragic incident,” Brig. Gen. Tad D. Clark said in a Sunday statement.
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“Our wing is working in close collaboration with the Italian base command team and Italian law enforcement agencies, specifically the Carabinieri. More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available,” Clark added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
