Reuters is reporting that an American tourist died in Naples yesterday, after thieves assaulted him while trying to steal his Rolex watch a week ago.
The article states that Oscar Antonio Mendoza, age 66, and his wife cruised to Naples on May 18th. After he disembarked the unidentified cruise ship to tour the city with his wife, two men approached him on a scooter, grabbed his arm and tried to take his Rolex.
Mendoza struggled with one of the men and was thrown to the ground, hitting his head. He was taken to hospital and operated on. He did not regain consciousness and died nine days later.
Naples is an interesting place to visit, but it has a reputation for pick pockets, purse snatchers, and drive-by-scooter robberies.
May 29, 2011 Update: Cruise Critic reports that the cruise passenger was from the Solstice cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises.
Cruise Critic writes “It should be noted that the Italian city is notorious for crime. The Cruise Critic profile on the port warns visitors to be ‘careful about crime — pickpockets, burglaries, etc.’ “