New Windsor police officers responded to a home on Chestnut Avenue just before 10:30 p.m. Thursday and found a woman suffering from injuries sustained in a violent attack. She told officers her ex-boyfriend had broken into her home, attacked her, and then fled before police arrived.
The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Bryan Arrao of Highland Mills, was located hours later when New York State Police stopped him while he was driving on Interstate 84, according to Daily Voice. Surrounding law enforcement agencies had joined the search for Arrao following the attack, the outlet reported. He was arrested and later arraigned in Newburgh City Court before being remanded to Orange County Jail.
Arrao faces some of the most serious charges available under New York law: second-degree attempted murder and first-degree burglary, both Class B violent felonies that carry a potential penalty of up to 25 years in state prison upon conviction, according to ASIS International. He was also charged with second-degree strangulation, third-degree criminal mischief, and endangering the welfare of a child, per the same account.
What the Strangulation Charge Means
New York Penal Law defines second-degree strangulation as intentionally impeding another person's breathing or blood circulation and causing physical injury, stupor, or loss of consciousness, a Class D violent felony under the statute, as detailed by the New York State Unified Court System. The state created dedicated strangulation offenses in 2010 specifically so prosecutors could bring felony charges when someone blocks a victim's airway or blood flow, without needing to prove severe permanent disfigurement, according to the Law Office of Matthew Galluzzo. Before that change, choking in domestic disputes was often prosecuted only under broader misdemeanor assault statutes.
New Windsor police have not disclosed the extent of the victim's injuries, nor have they provided details about the child or what allegedly occurred in the child's presence. Investigators say the case remains ongoing.
Victim Treated at Newburgh Trauma Center
New Windsor EMS took the victim to Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh for treatment. The Newburgh campus operates a state-certified Level III Trauma Center and serves as a primary emergency care facility for the Hudson Valley, according to Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall.
The investigation is being led by New Windsor detectives out of the department's headquarters at 555 Union Avenue, where Chief of Police Daniel J. Valeri oversees a full-time force of 50 sworn officers providing 24-hour patrol and emergency dispatching, per the Town of New Windsor Police Department. The department equips its patrol force and detective division with integrated body-worn cameras to record interactions and gather digital evidence during investigations, according to Axis Communications.
Case Heads to a Prosecutor's Office With a Track Record
Prosecution will fall under Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, whose office maintains a dedicated Special Victims Unit and a Misdemeanors Matter Domestic Violence Program to handle intimate partner abuse cases, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. That office has previously secured lengthy sentences in similar cases — a domestic burglary and strangulation prosecution in nearby Newburgh resulted in a 9-to-11-year state prison sentence following a conviction for a non-fatal domestic break-in and choking attack in 2022.
Domestic violence reporting varies sharply across the region. The Mid-Hudson Valley recorded 40 reported domestic violence incidents per 10,000 residents in 2024, while neighboring Newburgh recorded rates as high as 189 per 10,000, according to the Mid-Hudson Valley Community Indicators report. Statewide tracking of such cases also shifted last year, as the New York State Police fully transitioned to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, a change that affects how domestic violence victim data is categorized and compared year over year, per the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Arrao's bail status and any upcoming Orange County Court dates have not yet been reported. The investigation remains open as detectives continue gathering evidence from the scene and from Arrao's arrest along Interstate 84.
