A crime does not justify another crime
Em uma cidade do interior paulista, um homem suspeito de furtar uma paróquia foi atropelado por um carro branco cujo motorista, segundo a polícia, seria um frade dominicano pertencente à própria instituição roubada. O condutor fugiu sem prestar socorro, deixando a vítima em estado grave com fratura no fêmur. O caso levanta questões que atravessam séculos de reflexão humana: sobre justiça, vingança, e o abismo que pode se abrir entre os valores que uma instituição professa e os atos daqueles que a representam.
- Um homem é arremessado contra uma parede após ser atingido por um carro em alta velocidade numa avenida de Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo — e o motorista simplesmente foge.
- A suspeita recai sobre um frade dominicano, membro da mesma paróquia que a vítima teria supostamente roubado, transformando o caso em um choque entre fé, lei e moralidade.
- Dois dias após o incidente, nem o frade nem o veículo branco — registrado em nome da igreja — foram localizados, deixando a investigação sem um suspeito sob custódia.
- A Diocese de Ourinhos emitiu nota prometendo apurar os fatos, enquanto a polícia avança com investigações paralelas: o furto à paróquia e o atropelamento tratado como tentativa de homicídio.
- O padre Júlio Lancellotti repercutiu o caso nas redes sociais com uma frase que resume o dilema ético central: um crime não justifica outro crime.
Na noite de um sábado, câmeras de segurança na Avenida Tiradentes, em Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, registraram uma cena perturbadora: um homem corria pela calçada quando um carro branco acelerou em sua direção, o atingiu com força e o arremessou contra uma edificação. O motorista deu ré e abandonou o local sem prestar qualquer socorro. A vítima foi hospitalizada em estado grave, com fratura no fêmur.
O homem atropelado era suspeito de ter furtado itens da Paróquia de São Sebastião, a igreja local. O que tornou o caso ainda mais perturbador foi a identidade do suspeito ao volante: segundo a polícia, tratava-se de um frade da Ordem Dominicana — membro da mesma instituição que a vítima teria roubado. O veículo branco estava registrado em nome da paróquia.
Dois dias depois do incidente, o frade e o carro haviam desaparecido. O delegado responsável confirmou que as evidências apontavam para o religioso como motorista, mas nenhum suspeito havia sido preso. A Diocese de Ourinhos, em nota assinada pelo bispo e pelo superior dominicano no Brasil, afirmou estar apurando os fatos, sem revelar o paradeiro do frade ou as circunstâncias que teriam levado à colisão.
O padre Júlio Lancellotti, conhecido por seu trabalho com populações marginalizadas, compartilhou o vídeo nas redes sociais com uma legenda direta: um crime não justifica outro crime. Ele também esclareceu a distinção entre frade e padre — o religioso investigado era ambos, um frade dominicano ordenado sacerdote.
A polícia conduzia duas investigações paralelas: o furto à paróquia e o atropelamento, tratado como tentativa de homicídio. A vítima permanecia internada em estado grave, aguardando uma longa recuperação, enquanto o homem que a atropelou seguia desaparecido.
On a Saturday night in Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, a small city in the interior of São Paulo state, a man ran along a sidewalk carrying stolen goods. Security cameras on Avenida Tiradentes captured what happened next: a white car accelerated toward him, struck him with force, and threw his body against a building. The driver shifted into reverse and left the scene without stopping to help.
The man who was hit remained hospitalized in critical condition, his femur fractured from the impact. Police investigators believe he had just stolen items from the Paróquia de São Sebastião, the local parish church. What made the case unusual—and what drew public attention—was who they suspected was behind the wheel: a friar, a member of the Dominican religious order, who belonged to the very institution the man had allegedly robbed.
By Monday afternoon, two days after the incident, neither the friar nor the white vehicle had been found. The car, according to the police investigation, belonged to the church. Detective Antonio José Fernandes Vieira, who heads the Ourinhos police district, confirmed that evidence pointed to a Dominican friar as the driver. The friar had vanished after the collision, leaving investigators with surveillance footage, a stolen vehicle, and a hospitalized victim but no suspect in custody.
The Diocese of Ourinhos, the Catholic administrative body overseeing the region, issued a statement saying it was investigating the facts and would take appropriate action. The statement came from Bishop Eduardo Vieira dos Santos and Friar André Luís Tavares, who oversees the Dominican order in Brazil. They offered no details about the friar's whereabouts or the circumstances that led to the collision.
Father Júlio Lancellotti, a priest who works with homeless and marginalized populations, shared the surveillance video on social media with a simple caption: a crime does not justify another crime. When asked to explain the distinction between a friar and a priest—a question many observers had—Lancellotti clarified that a friar belongs to a religious congregation, while not all priests do. The man in question, he explained, was a Dominican friar who had also been ordained as a priest, making him both.
Police were investigating two separate but connected crimes: the alleged theft from the parish and the hit-and-run itself, which they were treating as attempted homicide. The victim's condition remained grave. The Santa Casa hospital where he was being treated declined to release details about his medical status, citing privacy restrictions. What was known was that he faced a long recovery from a serious fracture, and that the man who struck him had simply driven away.
Citas Notables
A crime does not justify another crime— Father Júlio Lancellotti, commenting on the incident
A friar can be just a friar, or a friar can be both friar and priest. This one is a Dominican friar who was ordained as a priest— Father Júlio Lancellotti, explaining the distinction
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that the driver was a friar rather than just any person?
Because it breaks the expectation of what a religious figure should do. A friar takes vows of service. The act of hitting someone and leaving them—that's the opposite of what the vocation claims to be about.
The victim was stealing from the church. Does that change anything about what happened?
It changes the context, but not the law. A theft doesn't give anyone the right to use a car as a weapon. That's what the video shows—not self-defense, but a deliberate act followed by abandonment.
Why did the friar disappear?
That's what investigators are trying to figure out. Fear, maybe. Knowing what he'd done. The fact that he vanished so quickly, and that the church vehicle vanished with him, suggests someone was trying to avoid accountability.
What does the Diocese saying they're "investigating" actually mean?
It's careful language. They're not defending him or condemning him publicly. They're buying time while they figure out what to say and what their legal exposure is.
Is this about class—a poor man stealing, a religious institution with resources?
It's about power, really. The man who stole had almost nothing. The friar had institutional backing, a vehicle, a place to hide. When the collision happened, that imbalance became visible in the video.
What happens next?
The friar needs to be found. The victim needs to recover. And someone has to answer for leaving a person bleeding on the street.