Balneário Camboriú beating: Fernando Gomes da Silva dies outside dealership after attack by coworker’s husband

A beating outside a car dealership in Balneário Camboriú, on the coast of Santa Catarina, left salesman Fernando Gomes da Silva dead on the night of Saturday, November 7, 2026. The 43-year-old was punched and kicked in the head on Avenida do Estado, in the city’s central area, as he left the business where he worked. The suspect, Thiago Cristofer dos Santos, 24, was arrested in the act by the Polícia Militar de Santa Catarina (PMSC).

Witnesses told police that Thiago threw a punch that knocked Fernando to the ground, then kicked him repeatedly in the head. The police traced the car the suspect used to flee through its license plate, which led officers to his home.

Footage shows the kicks went on after the victim lost consciousness

Investigators say the attack was driven by jealousy. According to the Ministério Público de Santa Catarina (MPSC), the suspect believed his wife had a relationship with Fernando, a colleague of hers at the dealership. The couple’s three-year-old son was in his mother’s arms during the attack. A video attached to the police report shows that the kicks continued after Fernando was unconscious.

Suspect claims he found a video his wife sent to Fernando

In his statement to the PMSC, Thiago said he found a video his wife had sent to Fernando a week before the attack, and that she admitted talking with her colleague. Police have not confirmed that account, which comes only from the suspect. Witnesses reported that, during the beating, he shouted: “This is for you to learn not to mess with other men’s wives.”

Read also: Telegram Gram Wallet: 714,844 registrations in two days, Durov says

Accounts also differ on how the encounter started. One report says Thiago waited for Fernando to finish his shift before approaching him. The suspect’s version is that he went to pick up his wife at work and found Fernando inside a car.

Rescue crews tried for 24 minutes before the death was confirmed

• 8:23 p.m.: the Corpo de Bombeiros Militar was called to the scene on Avenida do Estado.
• On arrival, a private ambulance crew from Unimed was already performing resuscitation.
• The Samu was called to provide advanced support and medical care.

After 24 minutes of resuscitation attempts, a doctor confirmed Fernando’s death at the scene. The Polícia Civil de Santa Catarina said the victim died before he could receive hospital care.

Sources differ on the suspect’s boxing background

Reports about Thiago’s career in boxing do not agree. One source says he represented Brazil at the Mundial Juvenil de Boxe. Another says only that he has defended the country at a world championship, without naming the category. Some outlets call him a former boxer, while others describe him as a boxer.

Keep reading: Low testosterone linked to higher cancer death risk in men, study says

Judge orders pretrial detention while forensic report is pending

A former colleague of Fernando said she worked with him for three years and described him as an “excellent human being.” She said he leaves behind a wife and a son. Fernando was 43 and originally from São Paulo.

At the custody hearing on Sunday, November 8, held by videoconference, the judge converted the arrest in the act into pretrial detention at the MPSC’s request. According to the decision, the video shows that people tried to hold the suspect back, but he kept attacking. The defense asked for provisional release with an electronic ankle monitor and a night-time curfew. Thiago remains in the Complexo Penitenciário do Vale do Itajaí, in Itajaí. The exact cause of death depends on a forensic report that has not been released yet.