North Providence Employee Arrested for Alleged Felony Poisoning at Public Works

Alessio D'Andrea, a 29-year-old laborer with North Providence's Department of Public Works, was arrested and charged with felony poisoning after allegedly filling a Gatorade bottle with windshield washer fluid, which a coworker then drank. The incident occurred in late June at the town's repair division, where two other employees witnessed D'Andrea placing the contaminated bottle in the office refrigerator. The victim immediately realized the liquid was not Gatorade and was informed by coworkers that it was intended as a prank, leading him to seek medical attention and spend nearly two days under hospital observation. D'Andrea has been placed on indefinite unpaid leave and was granted bail with conditions including no contact with the victim and a travel restriction. This is not D'Andrea's first legal issue; federal authorities previously accused him of unlicensed importation of a machine gun and possession of multiple firearms. North Providence officials noted that a background check was not conducted when D'Andrea was hired, and the role of the two coworkers who witnessed the incident remains under investigation.