Overview
- James Rizzo, 45, was arraigned in Manhattan on charges including persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault and multiple burglaries, and entered a not guilty plea.
- Police say he was identified after officers found him burglarizing an apartment building near Washington Square Park and connected him to Monday’s Greenwich Village attack on 20-year-old Amelia Lewis.
- Prosecutors also charged Rizzo with assault in a Thanksgiving incident involving a 68-year-old woman and in a separate 2023 case, with investigators reviewing additional reports.
- Records show Rizzo is a Level 2 registered sex offender with 16 prior arrests and was released on parole in September after serving a two-year sentence for persistent sexual abuse.
- NYU says it is supporting the student and working with police, while court records list a parole-violation appearance today and another court date on Monday in the criminal case.