Elderly Man Somehow Gets Mercedes A-Class Stuck Driving Down Rome's Spanish Steps

You aren't supposed to drive on the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy. Even if you've never seen them, the name makes it pretty obvious that they're steps and therefore not for cars. Then again, you've almost definitely seen them since they were featured prominently in 2023's "Fast X." Alternatively, if you're too much of a snob to enjoy the "Fast & Furious" franchise, they were also used in "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One." Anyway, presumably in an attempt to recreate one of those scenes, an elderly man drove his decade-old Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback onto the Spanish Steps on Tuesday and got himself stuck, ABC News reports.
Upon reading that, I'm sure you also assumed the man in question was an American tourist, but while more information may come out and change things, at least for now, I haven't been able to find a source that includes the man's nationality, so odds are, he's Italian. After all, you have to assume European newspapers would've been all over an American doing something stupid like that. Instead, all we really know is that he's 80 years old and didn't test positive for alcohol on his breath.
Read more: These Are The Dumbest Car Crashes You've Ever Seen
🚨 RomeEarly this morning, just before dawn around 4:30 AM, an elderly man — about 80 years old — drove a car down the Spanish Steps pic.twitter.com/op9osIRPAX
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) June 17, 2025
Local authorities cited the man when they arrived but have not released his name or confirmed whether he personally owned the car or not. They also have yet to clarify whether or not he was using GPS navigation, which could possibly help explain how he got turned around. Considering he's reportedly 80, it wouldn't be surprising if we eventually found out there were age-related issues at play, and he really shouldn't have been driving anymore, but at least for now, there's no evidence to support that theory.
Arguably, no one should drive in Rome because there's too much traffic.
Authorities were able to remove the car, but to avoid damaging the Steps, which were first built back in the 1720s, they ended up bringing in a crane to lift it to safety. ABC News also reports that local authorities did not respond to a request for more information, so it's possible we may never know more about what happened.
This also isn't the first time someone has driven a car down Rome's Spanish Steps or even the first incident in recent memory. Back in 2022, a 37-year-old Saudi man drove his rented Maserati down the steps and was later arrested at the airport in Milan, CNN reports. Following his arrest, he was charged with aggravated damage to cultural heritage and monuments, as his little escapade broke the 16th and 29th steps on the right side of the monument.
The vehicle was safely removed by the fire brigade pic.twitter.com/IV7ZMuSByd
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) June 17, 2025
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox...
Read the original article on Jalopnik.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

CBS News

an hour ago

• CBS News

July 4 holiday travel expected to set record in Michigan

Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories A record number of Michiganders are expected to travel around the July 4th holiday, with more than 2.6 million hitting the roads or taking to the skies. The estimated number is up nearly 3% from last year, with most of them driving to their destinations. Planes, buses, trains and cruise booking numbers also are up. AAA's travel estimates for the Independence Day holiday includes both the weekends before and after that date to reflect extended trips and a variety of departure schedules. July 4 is on a Friday this year, and the holiday travel time being reported is for June 28 to July 6. "Independence Day is one of the most popular times for travel, with Americans eager to take advantage of summer vacation opportunities," said Debbie Haas, Vice President of AAA Travel. "This year, we're seeing strong demand for road trips, flights, and cruises, especially with the holiday falling on a Friday."

Washington Post

2 hours ago

• Washington Post

Video shows man getting stuck driving Mercedes down Rome's Spanish Steps

A car hurtling down Rome's famous 18th century Spanish Steps could be a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster — only this version involves an 80-year-old driver, an awkwardly slow-moving Mercedes and a crane hoisting the vehicle out. Police on patrol in the Italian capital intervened before dawn Tuesday when they spotted a Mercedes A-Class car driven by an 80-year-old man had crashed down the stairs of the famous monument, Rome's local police force said in a Facebook post Tuesday. Video provided by police shows the car driving slowly on the road, before appearing to take a wrong turn down the 135-step staircase. The car then appears to get stuck halfway down the stairs. Police also shared a photo of an officer speaking to a man — presumably the driver — next to the stuck car, which had the door open. Police said they helped the man out of the car and that the man, whom they have not named, tested negative for alcohol. The incident has been referred for investigation, the statement added. The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Italy's La Stampa newspaper reported that the man was not injured in the incident, while Corriere della Sera reported that the man was in a state of confusion and that an investigation was carried out to see if the staircase had been damaged. Police said the man was a resident of Rome and was unable to explain why he was driving down the steps, the Associated Press reported. The car was later hoisted out by Italian firefighters, who published an image of a crane carrying out the 'delicate' recovery operation. The Spanish Steps, known as the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti in Italian, are one of Rome's most famous sites. Built in the 1720s, they lead from the Piazza di Spagna square to the Trinità dei Monti church, but take their nickname from the nearby Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, according to the AP. They are a popular tourist spot and have been used as a backdrop for several movies, including the 1953 classic 'Roman Holiday.' However, they've also been subject to a crackdown on boorish behavior, particularly from tourists. In July 2019, Rome officials announced the city would administer fines to those who soil, deface or damage its historic, artistic and monument sites. This included sitting on the Spanish Steps, which could lead to fines from 250 to 400 euros ($290-$460), The Washington Post reported at the time. In June 2022, two American tourists were fined after damaging the Spanish Steps with electric scooters. A Saudi man was also charged with aggravated damage to cultural heritage the same year, accused of driving a rented Maserati down the famous steps, the AP reported.

New York Times

2 hours ago

• New York Times

Football's possible doping problem, Messi magic at the Club World Cup, and Mbappe's hospital scare

The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic's daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox. Hello. As a Premier League star stares down the barrel of a possible four-year ban, we're asking: how concerned should football be about performance-enhancing drugs? On the way: 💉Doping: under control, or not? ✨ Magic Messi keeps Miami alive 🏥 Mbappe's hospital scare 🥜 Nutmegging the greatest The implications for footballers accused of doping are not remotely trivial. Many of those charged protest their innocence vehemently, but since anti-doping agencies apply strict liability principles and apportion responsibility irrespective of intent, the consequences hit hard. Paul Pogba is almost two years on from the positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone that culminated in an 18-month ban and the end of his second stint at Juventus. Once the world's most expensive player, he's free to resume his career again but is yet to find a club, stuck outside the tent with his thirties in full flow and time passing him by. Advertisement In Germany, Mario Vuskovic, a Croatia Under-21 international, found himself in a similar boat after a four-year suspension for returning a sample with EPO (erythropoietin) in it prompted Bundesliga side Hamburg to tear up his contract. He's 23 and, since 2022, has been inactive in his prime. They are two examples for Mykhailo Mudryk to dwell on with his own doping case pending. As with Pogba and Vuskovic, the Chelsea winger denies deliberate wrongdoing and says the prohibited substance he is accused of taking late last year, meldonium, was not ingested knowingly. But while intent can affect the severity of a sanction, it does not guard players against sanctions per se. An English Football Association charge against Mudryk will be dealt with in due course and the potential impact on him and Chelsea is obvious. The most extreme punishment the 24-year-old could receive is a ban spanning four years. But these cases (fairly isolated in the sport) invariably call for analysis of how common doping is in football. Based on the numbers involved, the assumption is not very — but are we seeing the full picture? Phil Buckingham took on the subject for an excellent article published this morning. It's fair to say, as he reflects, that as a team game in which technical skill matters as much as physicality (and 22 athletes are on the pitch), the illicit gains promised by doping are perceived to be smaller than in individual pursuits. At a distance, the data is encouraging. For a start, footballers are closely monitored. More than 2,000 samples were taken across the Premier League and the EFL last season, and every squad member at the 2022 FIFA World Cup took at least one test. But dig a little deeper and some of the findings are more opaque. Advertisement For instance, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that two Premier League players returned adverse tests in 2023-24, as did two others in the season before it. None received penalties. We don't know their identities, the nature of their adverse tests, or the reasons no action ensued. The English FA said only that it takes 'anti-doping in English football extremely seriously'. UEFA, meanwhile, enforced more than 15,000 tests over a five-year period leading up to 2024, but Europe's governing body wouldn't tell The Athletic how many of those returned positive findings. Mudryk's adverse sample came during a UEFA tournament while he was representing Ukraine in the Nations League in November. His next move is either to accept the FA charge or request a hearing, a £62m signing with another six years on his club contract at risk of a long stretch on the sideline. All eyes are on him, but more broadly, his case has us thinking again about how far doping in football — unintentional or otherwise — really stretches. The obstacles to Club World Cup supremacy are getting biblical. For the third time in 72 hours, thunderclouds forced a match delay yesterday, suspending Palmeiras' Group A win over Al Ahly for 40 minutes. The Gods aren't conspiring against FIFA entirely, though. Last night, we got our first proper upset as South American champions Botafogo did what virtually nobody has done for the past six months and figured European champions Paris Saint-Germain out. A deflected goal from Igor Jesus (coming to the Premier League soon) fulfilled Botafogo's promise to bury PSG in the 'cemetery of favourites'. And just when it seemed like FIFA's must-have participants, Inter Miami, might drop out of the tournament without making a dent in it, up stepped Lionel Messi to keep them in business. There's no greater clutch player in the history of the sport and the sensational finish that gave Miami a 2-1 victory against Porto proved once more that a free kick in the hands of Argentina's finest might as well be a penalty. It had more whip on it than Indiana Jones. The tournament was waiting for a moment like that. Miami were waiting for a moment like that, and so was the reputation of Major League Soccer. Take out the stench around FIFA shoe-horning Miami into the competition and there's no denying that any event is enhanced by Messi's genius. Fun and games in Canada's Gold Cup camp, where head coach Jesse Marsch is under investigation over an alleged confrontation with a Concacaf official during Tuesday's 6-0 beasting of Honduras. What's funny about this is that Marsch wasn't even on the touchline. He was serving a two-match ban after prior fun and games (and a red card) in Canada's Nations League win over the USMNT in March. Canada Soccer says it is working to 'resolve the matter' — and to be fair, the circumstances leading to it sound more than a little ridiculous. Advertisement The good thing for Marsch? Canada looked in fine fettle and are well on their way to the knockouts. In front of them, the USMNT have already made it through after disposing of the solitary genuine threat in Group D: invitational guests Saudi Arabia. Chris Richards, above, got the only goal, but the power behind it belonged to Sebastian Berhalter's sumptuous (and very awkward to defend) delivery. I think that's what they call the corridor of uncertainty. (Kick-offs ET/UK time. All Club World Cup matches are shown on DAZN in the U.S. and UK, as well as the other channels stated.) Friday: FIFA Club World Cup: Group C: Benfica vs Auckland City, 12pm/5pm; Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors, 9pm/2am — TBS, Fubo/Channel 5; Group D: Flamengo vs Chelsea, 2pm/7pm — TNT, Fubo (U.S. only); LAFC vs ES Tunis, 6pm/11pm. Saturday: FIFA Club World Cup: Group E: Inter vs Urawa Red Diamonds, 3pm/8pm — Channel 5 (UK only); River Plate vs Monterrey, 9pm/2am — TBS, Fubo (U.S. only); Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund, 12pm/5pm; Fluminense vs Ulsan HD, 6pm/11pm. Concacaf Gold Cup: Group B: Curacao vs Canada, 7pm/12am — Fox Sports, Fubo, ViX/Premier Sports. Sunday: FIFA Club World Cup: Group G: Juventus vs Wydad AC, 12pm/5pm — Channel 5 (UK only); Manchester City vs Al Ain, 9pm/2am — TNT, Fubo/Channel 5; Group H: Real Madrid vs Pachuca, 3pm/8pm — TNT, Fubo (U.S. only); Red Bull Salzburg vs Al Hilal, 6pm/11pm. Concacaf Gold Cup: Group A: Mexico vs Costa Rica, 10pm/3am; Group D: USMNT vs Haiti, 7pm/12am — both Fox Sports, Fubo, ViX/Premier Sports. Nutmegging Messi is no mean feat, and Porto's Fabio Vieira ticked that off his bucket list in Atlanta last night. Unfortunately, the on-loan Arsenal midfielder's next move was to slice a shambles of a pass with the outside of his left boot straight out of play. Just as the Louvre was making space for him, too…