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3w ago

North Providence Employee Faces Felony Poisoning Charge in Wiper Fluid Case

Town officials suspended Alessio D’Andrea without pay; HR has opened an internal review into hiring and reporting failures following the June contamination.

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Alessio Dandrea mugshot. (Courtesy of North Providence Police Department)

Overview

  • On July 29, North Providence police charged 29-year-old Alessio D’Andrea with felony poisoning for allegedly putting methanol-based windshield wiper fluid in a coworker’s Gatorade bottle.
  • Two colleagues witnessed D’Andrea refill the empty bottle and leave it in the shared refrigerator at the Department of Public Works on June 27.
  • The coworker drank the tainted beverage, was hospitalized for about 36 hours and continues to experience lingering effects from methanol exposure.
  • D’Andrea remains on unpaid suspension and is also awaiting trial on federal firearms charges after ATF agents found 27 guns and unregistered silencers in his home in 2023.
  • Human Resources Director Josh Hernandez said there was no background check when D’Andrea was hired in June 2024 and is probing why witnesses did not report the contamination immediately.