Earlier this week, Megyn reposted on X a horrifying video of a family friend who was violently attacked on the streets of New York City in broad daylight.
NYU student Amelia Lewis was walking to class around 9:20am on Monday when a man came up from behind, struck her buttocks, and yanked her to the ground by her hair. Lewis called the police and also posted about the attack on social media, where, with some help from Megyn and fellow X users, it went viral.
Police subsequently arrested 45-year-old James Rizzo, who has been charged with persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching, and assault. As it turns out, the suspect has a long and disturbing rap sheet that includes over a dozen prior arrests and even a murder charge.
On Wednesday’s show, Lewis and her friend Summer Armstrong, who helped obtain the footage of Lewis’ attack and was also assaulted in NYC last May, joined Megyn to discuss their experiences and what they hope will come from them.
The Assault
As Megyn explained, Lewis’ assault was brought to her attention by her friend, Armstrong’s mother, after she posted about it on TikTok. Megyn suggested Lewis also share it on X, so she created an account and posted it there. You can watch it below:
Megyn reposted it Monday afternoon, tagging NYU and various accounts associated with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). People in Megyn’s network also recirculated the video and tagged additional law enforcement contacts. Within 24 hours, a person of interest was in custody.
Lewis said she felt compelled to share her story because she has heard of so many similar cases. “I really wanted to bring awareness to the stuff that has been happening to young women in New York City. I’ve heard so many stories,” she shared. “I never thought that this would happen to me, but… this is something that happens all the time in New York and I really want to make sure I use my voice to raise awareness and help other girls stay protected and also help other girls that have maybe gone through the same experience.”
The Security Footage
Megyn called it a “horrifying story” that is “also kind of uplifting in its own way” because of how people were able to come together to get a suspect in custody. She believes the security camera footage, which Armstrong tracked down for Lewis, was key.
Armstrong shared that she was in class when Lewis texted her about what had happened. Having dealt with her own assault earlier this year, she immediately sprang into action. “I got a horrible, sinking gut feeling because this has also happened to me and I was lucky enough to have footage in my case,” she recalled. “Unfortunately, my assailant was not caught, but I knew that footage is key and I knew that it was in front of stores. So, my first thought was, ‘We need to get this footage, and we need to catch this guy.'”
She went to Warehouse Wines & Spirits on Broadway and asked if they would be able to go through their security footage from around the time of the attack because she figured they would have had the best view of what happened – and she was right.
“It is great footage. And on top of it being so clear, it is the reason, I think, you actually got results in this case,” Megyn said. “If I just retweeted Amelia’s testimonial, I really don’t think this would have drawn as much attention. It’s the fact that we can see the crime. It’s so infuriating… Every man on X was resolved to help you at this point, Amelia, having seen what he did to you.”
The Suspect
Police arrested Rizzo, who is homeless, on Tuesday after they were called to respond to a man sleeping in a building not far from where the assault occurred and investigators made the connection to Lewis’ case.
The career criminal was also slapped with burglary charges related to four separate robberies in the building he was discovered in, and he is accused of shoving a 68-year-old woman as she walked on Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center around 9pm on Thanksgiving Day.
Additionally, Rizzo has 16 prior arrests, including in December 2023 for forcible touching that led to him being registered as a level 2 sex offender. ABC 7 reported that he was also charged with attempted murder in 1997 for beating and stabbing a man in Brooklyn when he was 17 years old.
With that history in mind, Lewis said she considers herself lucky. “[I am] honestly terrified and also grateful at the same time,” she said. “I’m so grateful I wasn’t alone on a dark, abandoned street with no people around. And also I’m so thankful that no weapons were involved because this could have been so much worse, knowing now who he actually is.”
Fight for Justice
Given Manhattan’s soft-on-crime policies and District Attorney Alvin Bragg, it remains to be seen if Rizzo will remain incarcerated following his court hearing on Wednesday. But Lewis said she is hopeful.
“They have contacted me the other day and I’m going in and speaking to them, so I don’t have really much to say yet until I go in and just hear what they’re going to ask me and what their stance is on this case,” she shared. “But I’m praying they take this seriously because I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to school and go back to my normal life knowing that he’s still on the street. And because of how much publicity the story has gotten, it just makes you really scared.”
Megyn said the attention could turn out to be an “insurance policy” of sorts. “Now they know that there really will be follow up. I assure you, there will be follow up if this guy walks because of Alvin Bragg or a judge who is too lenient,” she promised. “I am happy to go sit in any courtroom where you need me. I will sit in the front row. I’ll bring my camera. It’ll be super fun for everyone. We’ll make Alvin Bragg an even bigger star than he is… I’m going to make him care.”
She said this case is bigger than any one person. “It’s about far more than you. It’s about Summer. It’s about all the young girls who… [are] walking on the street… [or] walking to class,” Megyn added. “This is what shatters a society. There has to be a basic covenant: You go off to college – even if it’s in a city – and you can just get from A to B… living your life as a normal, law-abiding citizen… safely.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Lewis and Armstrong by tuning in to episode 1,205 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.