A suspect with a record of prior offenses has been taken into custody in connection with an attack on an NYU student earlier this week. James Rizzo, 45, has been charged with persistent sexual abuse and forcible touching, authorities said. Rizzo, who has 16 previous arrests, was released from state prison in September after serving a two-year sentence for a persistent sexual abuse conviction.
The incident, captured on camera, occurred Monday morning as Amelia Lewis, 20, was walking through Greenwich Village on her way to class. In a video statement posted on TikTok, Lewis described the ordeal as “honestly, the scariest experience of my life.” NBC New York reported that the student shared surveillance footage showing the suspect, with a towel around his neck, hitting her and pulling her down.
Onlookers assisted Lewis as the assailant left the scene, and she later expressed concern about campus safety, saying she should be able to walk to her morning class without fear. The incident is similar to a series of random punching attacks targeting women in the city last year, which resulted in several arrests connected to those assaults.
John Beckman, a spokesperson for NYU, said the university was relieved about the arrest. “The University is pleased that a suspect has been apprehended in the attack on one of its students that took place Monday morning on a Broadway sidewalk,” Beckman said, as reported by ABC7NY. He added, “We are continuing to offer support to the student, and our Campus Safety Department assisted the victim and worked with the police investigating the incident.”
Investigators are looking into whether Rizzo may be connected to other recent incidents involving female NYU students. He was taken into custody yesterday after police were called to a building where he was sleeping, and he was later linked to Monday’s assault. In addition to the charges related to this incident, Rizzo was also charged with four separate burglary offenses in the same building, ABC7NY reports. No information has been released regarding an attorney representing Rizzo in this case.
