A confused driver ignored warnings by military police on Sept. 9, 2024, and tried to enter Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, shown here in 2022, officials said. The base shut the main gate for about two hours. (Indra Beaufort/U.S. Navy)

Military police at a U.S. Navy base next to Naples International Airport in Italy stopped a driver who attempted to enter the installation Monday without an identification check, according to officials.

The incident happened at about 6:30 a.m. at Naval Support Activity Naples’ Capodichino main entrance as service members and civilian workers were coming to work, the base said in a statement.

The occupants, a man and a woman, later told investigators they were trying to return their rental car, NSA Naples spokesman Lt. j.g. Valentine Mulango said.

Security forces quickly activated a steel barrier wall just beyond the entry gate to prevent the car from accessing the installation and closed the entrance to vehicle and pedestrian traffic, Mulango said.

The two people in the car were detained by military police for an unspecified time. After their release, they were escorted from the base by local police, Mulango said.

The base’s main entry gate was closed to traffic for about two hours, he said.