A New York University (NYU) college student said she was brutally assaulted on the way to class – and the whole thing was captured on shocking surveillance video. 

Amelia Lewis recounted the incident Monday in two videos posted to her social media account, describing how a man followed her across the street as she was walking down Broadway before slapping her from behind.

"When I turned around, I saw this old, White guy and, like right when I turned around, he like grabbed my f---- hair like this and like yanked me and threw me to the ground," said Lewis.

A group of girls is then seen in the footage helping her up after she was knocked off her feet.

Lewis said the surveillance video was obtained by a friend of hers from a nearby liquor store. She described the assailant as a tall man with long brown hair and a long brown beard, wearing gray sweatpants, a black puffer jacket and a blue towel around his neck.

The college student said she sent the video to NYU security, who forwarded the footage to police.

"The University is pleased that a suspect has been apprehended in the attack on one of its students that took place Monday morning on a Broadway sidewalk. We take this incident very seriously," said NYU spokesperson John Beckman. "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."

"I just really want to emphasize how not OK this is. I am a student at NYU. I should not be scared to be walking the street to go to my 9:30 a.m. class. These people are disgusting, and they should not be able to be walking around the street freely targeting girls and doing this. Cause I heard that this guy did this a month ago," Lewis said in the video.

"I'm honestly still in shock, but I'm more enraged that things like this are able to happen in this city and we really need to do something about it because this is unacceptable," she continued. "This just shows that you really need to reflect on who you're voting for and supporting right now because New York needs help, and we're just not getting the help we need, and this is crazy."

The NYPD confirmed to Fox News Tuesday that 45-year-old James Rizzo is in custody and charged with persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching, and assault in relation to the incident. Rizzo has 16 prior arrests.

Lewis warned other women at the university to be careful and aware while walking around the city.

"That was honestly like the scariest experience of my life," she said. "I never thought this was going to happen to me just cuz I've seen the stories, and I was like, oh that's so scary, but having it actually happen now, it's like oh my god."

Fox News' Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.

Source - https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyu-student-slapped-from-behind-thrown-ground-random-attack-caught-video

SOHO, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are searching for the suspects who burglarized a high-end boutique and stole merchandise reportedly worth millions of dollars in Manhattan early Monday morning.

The owner of SoHo boutique 4G Seller says the value of the stolen items is nearly $2 million, and whoever broke in and took these items knew what to look for.

Surveillance video captures the thieves smashing their way into the second-floor boutique from the fire escape around 4:30 a.m. on Monday. Spring Street was quiet, while a lookout was watching.

"We got an alarm alert and looked at the cameras and there were two guys in here, masked up, in construction crew outfits, headlamps. They sort of targeted it like they knew exactly what they were going for," said Tommy Macari, partner and brand ambassador of 4G Seller.

The suspects grabbed custom-designed clothes, belts, bags and jewerly from 4G Seller's curated collection.

"They had garbage bags on them and they were just dropping them off the balcony and someone was running it to the car," Macari said. "They were in and out of the store in four and a half minutes and they left, and 91 seconds later, the NYPD was here. And four minutes after that, we were here."

The shop, which caters to celebrity clients by appointment, kept most of its appointments on Monday as NYPD crime scene detectives went through the shop and broken glass, looking for clues as to who was behind the heist.

"We heard some crashing sounds that woke us both up," said upstairs neighbor Guy Story about the incident.

Story has been living in SoHo for decades, long before the high-end boutique came in that thieves might target. He says 4G Seller's owner, Vincent Ferraro, doesn't deserve this.

"He's been working super hard for a few years, trying to build a business here, and so I feel really bad. I mean, he's really dedicated to this business," Story said.

Some of the stolen items are worth tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many of them are one-of-a-kind.

The owner's cousin who helps run the shop tells us the thieves may have known what to do, but may not know just how recognizable the items are, should anybody try to sell or use them.

"People wear these clothes to be seen in it. And, you know, if you're seen in a one-of-one piece, we're going to figure it out," Macari said.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/post/surveillance-video-shows-brazen-heist-high-end-boutique-soho-manhattan/18237010/

MOTT HAVEN, Bronx (WABC) -- Five people are under arrest after a string of gunpoint robberies in the Bronx and officials say the youngest suspect is a teenager.

Bronx District Attorney Darrel Clark said Friday that the group is responsible for stealing $100,000 in jewelry in just a seven-week period.

The suspects range in age from 16 to 29 years old.

Clark's office released surveillance video of several of the incidents on Friday, including that one that shows the 16-year-old old boy with a gun in hand, demanding jewelry from a victim while an accomplice waits to get away on a blue moped behind him.

Investigators say these are all alleged gang members who wore masks and jumped out of cars or off of a moped - catching their victims by surprise before stripping them of their valuables.

The string of robberies took place between Sept. 20 and Oct. 6 in various neighborhoods in the Bronx, including Kingsbridge, Mott Haven and Fordham Heights.

The five suspects have been indicted on first-degree robbery, conspiracy, grand larceny and other related charges for the seven gunpoint robberies.

"The defendants-including a 16-year-old boy--allegedly put guns to victims' heads or chests and stole their jewelry in a spree that lasted two weeks," Clark said. "They accosted people of various ages, in different areas of the Bronx, causing fear on our streets. We are fortunate that no one was shot, but these victims' lives were threatened, and some are forever traumatized. No one should have to live that way. My crime victims advocates stand ready to assist them."

It comes as there's a no-questions-asked gun buyback program taking place Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.

In exchange, participants can get a gift card between $25 and $500 in addition to a free iPad, Apple Watch or other free electronics.

QUEENS, New York (WABC) -- Police are searching for a suspect who slashed a 42-year-old man and 50-year-old man with a sharp object in two separate attacks at a Queens subway station.

The incidents occurred on the southbound "E" train platform at the Union Turnpike-Kew Gardens subway station around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to police, the suspect approached the 42-year-old man from behind and slashed him in the forehead with a sharp unknown object. Moments later, the suspect approached a 50-year-old man and slashed him in the face with an unknown object.

EMS responded and transported the 42-year-old victim to New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital and the 50-year-old victim to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst. Both victims are stable.

The suspect fled the station on foot and their whereabouts remain unknown.

Police say the individual was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black shoes.

Source - https://abc7ny.com/post/nypd-search-suspect-slashed-2-men-union-turnpike-kew-gardens-subway-station-queens/18179771/