North Providence Public Works Employee Charged in Poisoning of Co-Worker

North Providence Public Works Employee Charged in Poisoning of Co-Worker

On July 2, GoLocal broke the story that an employee of the North Providence Public Works Department poured out another worker’s Gatorade drink and replaced it with automobile window wash fluid.

That town worker is Alessio Dandrea — a man who was on bail facing multiple federal charges.

On Monday, Dandrea surrendered to North Providence Police to face a charge of poisoning — a felony.

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The victim was hospitalized as a result of the poisoning.

Automobile window wash fluid is typically made with methanol, which can be toxic and potentially lethal.

Multiple workers reportedly looked on while the fluid was replaced in the bottle.
Later that day, when the worker returned to the office and unknowingly drank the window wash fluid, he reportedly became ill and was hospitalized twice due to the poisoning.

 

North Providence Investigating

North Providence Police began an investigation.

Dandrea was previously charged with a series of crimes by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2023.

 

According to the U.S Attorney’s Office:

Federal charges were filed against a Johnston man following the seizure of two firearm silencers, one of which was attached to a rifle, and a “lightning link” auto sear (a device used to turn a semi-automatic rifle into an automatic weapon), announced then-United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Dandrea was been charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with possession of an unregistered firearm silencer and unlicensed importation/transportation of a machine gun from foreign commerce. 

According to charging documents, on June 14, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a parcel shipped from China addressed to Dandrea that, upon inspection, was found to contain an AR-15 “lightning link” auto sear. 

The seized lightning is classified as a machine gun by the ATF and is designed to modify the semi-automatic function/capability of an AR-15, rendering it capable of firing as an automatic weapon.  The possession or transfer of an unregistered drop-in auto sear is prohibited by the National Firearms Act.

A court-authorized search of Dandrea’s residence...by agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, and the Johnston Police Department resulted in the seizure of six firearms and two firearm silencers, one of which was attached to a rifle.  An investigation into Dandrea revealed that the two silencers were not registered to him, rendering their possession illegal under federal law.  

 

Background

When Bernie Salvatore, the acting director of the North Providence Pubic Works Department, was made aware of the incident last week, he placed Dandrea on "indefinite unpaid leave."

Salvatore told GoLocal that Dandrea had been working for the city for about one year and that he was a member of the union.

When asked if he was aware of Dandrea's federal criminal issues, Salvatore said, "I don't have any information about that."

GoLocal reached out to North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi, who confirmed the incident and referred calls to Human Resources Director Josh Hernandez.

Hernandez did not respond to GoLocal's call.

North Providence Police Chief Alfredo Ruggiero was not reachable at the time of publication.