The homeless profession prison accused of randomly assaulting an NYU pupil on her option to class dedicated an eerily comparable assault simply days earlier in Manhattan, cops mentioned Wednesday.
James Rizzo, 45 – who has 16 prior busts on his file – allegedly shoved a 68-year-old lady as she walked on Fifth Avenue, close to West forty seventh Avenue at, round 8:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, police mentioned.
Rizzo is accused of placing the sufferer along with his elbow – with out warning – so violently that she fell to the bottom, and suffered a small lower, in accordance with cops.
The unhinged perp’s spree continued on Monday morning, when he allegedly got here up behind 20-year-old Massive Apple coed Amelia Lewis on Broadway close to Astor Place, slapped her head and buttocks and pulled her hair in a surprising assault, police mentioned.
He was charged Tuesday with assault in each incidents, dealing with extra raps of persistent sexual abuse and forcible touching in connection to the assault on Lewis.
“I simply actually wish to emphasize how not OK that is,” Lewis mentioned of the assault on X. “I’m truthfully nonetheless in shock, however I’m extra enraged that issues like this are capable of occur on this metropolis, and we actually have to do one thing about it as a result of that is unacceptable.”
He was additionally slapped with one other assault cost for allegedly slapping a 59-year-old lady within the face at random on Dec. 18, 2023 on Mercer Avenue close to West third Avenue, authorities mentioned.
The suspect, who acquired out of jail in September, was tied to the crimes after cops “caught him within the act” burglarizing an condo close to Washington Sq. Park on Tuesday, police mentioned.
Police linked Rizzo to 4 burglaries dedicated in the identical constructing at Bleecker and Mercer streets, all from round 1 a.m. Tuesday, cops mentioned.
Rizzo’s arraignment in Manhattan Prison Courtroom was pending Wednesday.
