Suspect in Assault Familiar with Milton Road Area: PD Asks for Help

The suspected arrested Saturday evening in connection with the Rye Town Park assault, Port Chester resident Richard A. Olmino, appears to have been familiar with the Milton Road area in Rye. At a media briefing Monday morning, City of Rye Public Safety Commissioner appealed to the public for assistance.

“We believe that he may have been providing [landscaping] services to residents in this area, what we also know is that these attacks all took place in close proximity and that they all began on or around Milton Road or they terminated there,” said Kopy. “So he appears to have had some familiarity with that area.”

Olmino was arrested by Rye PD Saturday evening as he exited an apartment complex on King Street in Port Chester. He is reported to have worked for Hidalgo’s Landscaping in Port Chester. Olmino has been driving a 2009 Acura MDX.

“Clearly this individual has a history of predatory sexual behavior,” said Kopy. “We’ve seen the rap sheet, we’re seeing what happened and very quick period of time in this area. So I think it is likely that we may see additional complaints come in.”

Residents with any information are urged to call The City of Rye Police Department at 914-967-1234. The investigation remains active.

Kopy reviewed the various incidents being investigated by the Rye PD and other authorities:

• June 3rd event: Olmino is suspected in the June 3 assault of 18-Year Old Female on Boston Post Road near Rye High School. Kopy: “At approximately one in the end on June 3, an 18 year old female reported that she was walking on Playland Parkway with a friend. She separated from the friend at the Post Road, and she reported that she was followed by a male subject, the male subject caught up with her at the Rye high school football field, at which point after a brief conversation between the two, she was assaulted there. The victim at the conclusion of the assault continued northbound on the Post Road where a Rye police officer was observing traffic approximately 100 yards away at Parsons Street.”
• May 3rd event: Kopy: “Part of that [June 3rd] investigation required us to notify the public and seek their help in identifying the suspect. We put a notification out. After that notification came out, we were contacted by what was then a 15 year old female and her mother to report what they said was a strange incident. They reported that at approximately 2am on May 3 that the 15 year old was walking, she had just departed from a group of friends at the intersection of Oakland Beach and Milton Road. She was heading south on Milton Road when she was confronted by a subject who began to talk to her. She claimed she got afraid and immediately returned back to her friends. When we discussed this with her her description was similar to the suspect that we had been seeking in the first event, although no crime is reported.”
• June 23rd event: Kopy: “Just around midnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, we received a report from a 16 year old female who had been jogging on Forest Avenue in the area of Dearborn near Rye Town Park. Again, a male subject approached her. she didn’t know from where. He began questioning with her and subsequently tackled her in the park and assaulted her. We were fortunate on that night that the Rye Town Park had a security guard on duty that the security guard heard screaming and came up and interrupted the assault. The suspect at that point fled over the rock wall and continued down Oakland Beach Avenue in the direction of Milton Road.”
• Other known events including November 3, 2022 in East Hampton: Kopy: “[Olmino] was currently out on bail from an incident to happen East Hampton, Suffolk County. The subject is currently in court out there for a charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree which is a Class B felony, as well as strangulation and other charges. Additionally, we know that he has a record for public lewdness and indecency. He currently has charges pending in Norwalk, and we’re looking at other charges that are coming to light now in the Sound Shore area where he may have exposed himself.”

The investigation is ongoing and the PD is still working the resolve the June 3 assault at Rye High School. Kopy also thanked his department and various cooperating authorities including the Westchester Department of Public Safety, the Westchester DA and the FBI.

“We would not have been successful had it not been for the leadership of Lieutenant Anfuso or the investigative abilities of Detective Klein, Detective Anderson, Detective Caputo who was not here unfortunately today, as well as the Patrol members who are out there working overtime,” said Kopy. He said Anfuso has been sleeping on the floor of his office, working around the clock on the case.

Olmino is scheduled to be arraigned in Rye City Court Tuesday morning.

VIDEO OF THE RYE PD BRIEFING: