An NYU student was randomly attacked Monday in Greenwich Village ... and now a suspect has been arrested for the bizarre butt-slapping on a sidewalk, TMZ has confirmed.
Watch the video ... a man wearing a light-blue scarf follows a 20-year-old woman across a busy street to sneak up behind her and strike her hard on the behind. He follows up by knocking her to the ground with another vicious blow to the head.
This all took place in broad daylight in lower Manhattan as the poor woman was just trying to make her way to a 9:30 AM class.
The
video also shows passersby -- clearly stunned by the occurrence -- tend to the woman after her fall.Thankfully, the school is on top of it, and so are the police.
NYU spokesperson John Beckman tells TMZ ... "The University is deeply disturbed by the attack on one of its female students that took place yesterday morning on a Broadway sidewalk. We take this incident very seriously; we are offering support to the student, and NYU's Campus Safety Department is working with the police in investigating the incident."
He continued ... "The incident was reported to our Department of Campus Safety yesterday afternoon. The department's victim services unit promptly reached out to the student; they have assisted her in connecting with detectives from the local precinct."
Police sources confirmed to TMZ officers responded to a 911 call ... they identified the suspect and arrested 45-year-old James Rizzo. Rizzo was booked for persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching, and assault ... we're told Rizzo has 16 prior arrests.
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