Red Cross driver to face trial for suspected ambulance deaths

Luca Spada, a 27-year-old Red Cross ambulance driver, will face an immediate trial at the Forlì Court of Assizes starting October 15. He is accused of the aggravated voluntary homicide of 85-year-old Deanna Mambelli, who died on November 25, 2025, during transport in an ambulance.

An autopsy determined that Mambelli’s death was caused by a gas embolism resulting from the “exogenous introduction of air” via a peripheral venous catheter. Prosecutors have charged Spada with premeditation, use of an insidious means, and violation of duties as a public service official. Investigators are also looking into at least five other suspicious deaths that occurred during ambulance transports involving the same driver.