STEFAN AT 14 SAVED A CHILD FROM IBAR: At 18 he died because the police did not allow him to go to the hospital after the arrest?!

Stefan Đurđević (18) from Kraljevo, died on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, after a police patrol stopped him, and then detained him. The young man felt unwell because he was diabetic, and the question many are asking is whether he was given help in time and in an appropriate manner. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is silent about the entire event.

Stefan Đurđević from Kraljevo received an award for his humane act of saving a boy from the Ibar River 4 years ago in 2021 when he was a child, today he is no longer alive after being detained by the authorities and not being provided with adequate assistance, as citizens of Kraljevo state.

It all started as a routine police check in Kraljevo, when they stopped a “Volkswagen Polo” car containing two young men, with Stefan Đurđević (18) at the wheel, who had a provisional license. The police searched both the passengers and the car, and found a telescopic baton, 55 centimeters long, in the glove compartment, and for this reason, they detained Stefan and took him to the official premises. They immediately released his companion.

In the official note, which was published on his X social media account by Member of Parliament Miroslav Aleksić, it is described, briefly and in police jargon, what happened next and how a routine check and a minor offense turned into a disaster.

Upon arrival at the police premises, around 10 p.m., the teenager was tested for the presence of narcotics, and the result was negative. Đurđević is a diabetic. The official note further states that upon leaving the police station, around 11 p.m., the teenager “began to show signs of distress and asked to go to the Emergency Service, saying that his sugar had spiked. On that occasion, he tried to move away, which was prevented by the use of physical force, without consequences.”

The police officers, as written in the note, grabbed Đurđević by the hands and held him. After that, the young man was taken to the Emergency Service for examination. But, while providing medical assistance, the doctor “confirmed a cardiac arrest and after several attempts at resuscitation, at 00:15 a.m., death was confirmed in the person.”

The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kraljevo and the Internal Control Sector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia were informed about the event.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia did not issue a statement on this occasion, but others did, and different versions of this event began to appear on social media, which cast doubt on the actions of the police officers on the critical night.

A evo i službene beleške vezano za ovaj slučaj, ovaj momak je bio živ i zdrav dok ga nije zaustavila policijska patrola u Kraljevu‼️ https://t.co/3lTIBZMntv pic.twitter.com/GjvFchwtY3
— Miroslav Aleksic (@MiikiAleksic) November 8, 2025

Was the assistance adequate

The Union of Societies for the Fight Against Diabetes also issued a statement published on the site:

“The death of Stefan Đurđević from Kraljevo deeply shook us and warned us that the system must better understand and protect people living with diabetes. In damaged social relations, with justified and unfounded suspicions, a person’s subjective discomfort must be taken seriously and adequate help must be enabled. Every person in Serbia has the constitutionally guaranteed right to timely health care—without prejudice, without delay, and without distrust. We expect a detailed analysis of the event from the competent state institutions and informing the public about the facts. At the same time, we strongly appeal to all people with diabetes, especially children and young people, to always carry an identification document certified by a health institution; this small document can mean salvation in a moment of life-threatening danger,” the statement of the Union of Societies of Serbia for the Fight Against Diabetes states.

Versions of this tragic event also appeared on social media that significantly differ from the police official note, which should admittedly be taken with reserve, but which is fueled by the silence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia regarding the young man’s death. According to some of them, Stefan Đurđević asked to take something sweet that he always carried with him, in order to increase his blood sugar level, but the police officers did not allow him to do so. According to another version, he did take a piece of candy, but the police officers forced him to spit it out.

The police did not issue a statement on this occasion, nor did they respond to the questions of the Nova.rs portal about this case, or whether the Internal Control Sector had started an investigation into this case in order to determine whether there were any omissions in the actions of the police officers.

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The case of Dalibor Dragijević

Suspicion about the work of the police is also raised by the case of the murder of Dalibor Dragijević on the premises of the Police Administration in Bor. He was arrested at the beginning of April, on suspicion of participating in hiding the body of the missing girl Danka Ilić, but was beaten to death during questioning the same night. The police tried to cover up his death with a false statement stating that Dragijević died due to heart problems, only for the autopsy to later establish that the death occurred due to numerous injuries all over the body. The case is still at a standstill, and after 20 months, there is no sign of any indictment against the police officers who killed Dragijević, nor against those who wanted to cover up his murder.