Photo: YouTube video
(New York, NY) – 45-year old suspect James has 16 prior arrests including one in December 2023 for forcible touching when police said he groped a 33-year-old woman on Greene Street in Greenwich Village. He was released from state prison in September after serving two years on a conviction for persistent sexual abuse. He was also charged with attempted murder in 1997 for beating and stabbing a man in Brooklyn when he was 17 years old.
This most recent incident happened Monday (Dec 1st) morning in front of 735 Broadway. Amelia Lewis was walking down the street when police say Rizzo walked up behind her. Video show he pulled her hair and slapped her head and buttocks, knocking her to the ground.
Police say they later arrested Rizzo, who is homeless and charged him persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching and assault. He was located when the NYPD got a call about a man sleeping in a building near the attack. He was also charged with burglary on four separate occasions in that building, mostly while residents of the apartments were sleeping. He’s also charged with assault for allegedly shoving a 68-year-old woman on Thanksgiving in Midtown.
NYU students are shocked and disappointed that they weren’t informed that the man accused of attacking 20-year-old NYU student Amelia Lewis was living in student housing — in the same building as Lewis, in fact.
NYU spokesperson John Beckman said. “We take this incident very seriously. 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 now trying to determine if Rizzo is responsible for other random attacks on female students at NYU.
