R.I. city employee placed on leave after allegedly poisoning coworker

A city employee in Rhode Island was accused of poisoning another employee and placed on leave Wednesday, according to officials.

Alessio Dandrea, 29, an employee at the North Providence Department of Public Works, allegedly put windshield wiper fluid in his coworker’s sports drink, WPRI reported.

North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi told WPRI that it was his understanding that Dandrea allegedly added the fluid as “something juvenile” rather than to cause serious harm.

Dandrea, who has been working for the department since June 2024, was placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of a police investigation, according to WPRI. North Providence’s Department of Public Works and Human Resources departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

Dandrea is currently out on bond following a 2023 federal investigation, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. He was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm silencer and unlicensed importation or transportation of a machine gun from foreign commerce.

Federal officers seized two firearm silencers and a “lightning link” auto sear, which turns a semi-automatic rifle into an automatic weapon, according to the statement. The “lightning link” was found in an intercepted parcel from China addressed to Dandrea, and the two firearm silencers, along with six firearms, were found during a court-authorized search of his residence.

Dandrea was later released on a $10,000 bond provided he obeyed all laws and received mental health treatment, according to WPRI. North Providence police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.