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Man Arrested After Video Shows NYU Student Thrown To Ground; Linked To Earlier Assault And Apartment Burglaries

03:55 AM, 12/05/2025

James Rizzo, 45, was arrested after video reportedly showed him grabbing and throwing a 20-year-old NYU student. He faces charges including forcible touching, persistent sexual abuse and assault. Police say Rizzo is also linked to an earlier Thanksgiving assault on a 68-year-old woman and to multiple burglaries of off-campus apartments where stolen items worth about $3,150 were recovered. A judge ordered him held without bail and requested a psychological evaluation; his attorney cited housing instability and mental illness.

Suspect Arrested After Unprovoked Attack on NYU Student

A 45-year-old man, James Rizzo, was arrested and charged after video footage reportedly showed him grabbing a 20-year-old New York University student from behind, slapping her head and buttocks, yanking her hair and throwing her to the pavement, the New York City Police Department said.

Rizzo faces charges that include forcible touching, persistent sexual abuse and assault. Security camera footage circulated by police shows an older man approaching the student, identified in media reports as Amelia Lewis, before the alleged attack.

In a video shared on social media, Lewis described the encounter, saying that when she turned around an older man grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground.

Linked To Earlier Thanksgiving Assault

Authorities say the incident followed a separate, allegedly random assault earlier that week. According to media reporting, at about 8:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Rizzo allegedly pushed a 68-year-old woman, Jana Dianne Brazell, in Midtown Manhattan. Brazell told reporters she was struck from behind, fell against a glass wall and required stitches.

Police and local outlets reported the encounter lasted only seconds but left the victim with injuries that required medical attention.

Arrest During Off-Campus Burglary Investigation

Rizzo was taken into custody after investigators say they found him allegedly breaking into off-campus apartments near Washington Square Park. Authorities reported recovering multiple stolen items — including electronic devices, a suitcase and a backpack — with an estimated combined value of about $3,150.

Prosecutors said one recovered laptop was traced to the building; when officers entered the unit they found Rizzo alone in a vacant penthouse surrounded by the recovered items, Assistant District Attorney Kailey Wilk told reporters.

Background And Court Proceedings

Media reports identify Rizzo as a Level 2 registered sex offender with roughly 16 prior arrests. Court filings and reporting indicate he was released from prison in September and had not checked in with his parole officer since Oct. 23. His defense attorney asked the court to consider supervised release, citing persistent housing instability and mental illness.

A judge ordered Rizzo held without bail and requested a psychological evaluation while he remains in custody. The NYPD and New York University did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This account is based on police statements and media reports.

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