After 12:30 Wednesday afternoon a parking enforcement officer was assaulted on Orange Street. Christopher Briggs said, “I heard like a hitting noise, like a whack.” Rick Fontana the Director of Emergency Operations for the City of New Haven said, “It appears he was hit in the back of the head or neck with some sort of an object. It could have been a fist.”
Officials told News8 the worker was marking tires on vehicles and stopped to talk to someone when he was hit from behind. Christopher Briggs said, “The guy jumped into a car and the guy just hit the ground and he was just laying there.” Doreen Rhodes, the president of Local 884 council for officers and delegates said, “I came out to see what happened and they told me he was assaulted.”
The victim is recovering at Yale New Haven Hospital. Locals said the assailant fled the scene. Briggs
said, “He made it to like the corner before he got in the car. He didn’t jump right in the car right there. He ran a little bit then got in the car.”
Parking Enforcement Officer Albert Ruggerio said he fears for his safety. Ruggiero told NEWS8, “Once something like this happens it gives leeway to other people to think it’s all right.” He said this is not the first time a parking enforcement officer has been assaulted. “One of our guys got attacked not as bad as this. He got attacked a year or two ago, a guy got off the bus and assaulted one of our officers,” Ruggiero. Local are shocked something like this happened. Matt Ponzillo said, “It’s sad. You expect to go home at the end of the day, and he’s just doing his job.”
