GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- The man charged with randomly assaulting an NYU student earlier this week appeared in court overnight.

It turns out this attack on an NYU student earlier this week wasn't the first time James Rizzo is accused of violence against women.

He has a lengthy criminal record with 16 prior arrests, including for sex abuse and even attempted murder, and is now facing multiple new charges.

Pictures showed Rizzo, a level-two sex offender, in a Manhattan courtroom late Wednesday night as he was arraigned on charges of assault, persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching, and four counts of burglary.

Before the Greenwich Village attack, officials accuse the 45-year-old of assaulting a 68-year-old woman in Midtown on Thanksgiving night. He allegedly struck

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