Ex-EMT Appeared To Stalk Greenwich Middle School Student Before Grabbing Her, Warrant Says

GREENWICH, CT — The man accused of grabbing a Greenwich middle school student as she walked to school in September was a volunteer EMT in Stamford, and police say he appeared to "stalk" and perform a "dry run" to monitor the girl's morning routine the day before the incident occurred, according to an arrest warrant.

Hector J. Romero Vargas, 31, of Port Chester, N.Y., surrendered to police on Dec. 1, police announced this week.

Romero Vargas was charged with second-degree unlawful restraint, fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree stalking, second-degree child endangerment, risk of injury to a child, and second-degree breach of peace.

The CT Judicial Branch website notes he remains in custody on a $250,000 bond.

Stamford EMS Chief Edward Browne confirmed with Patch on Friday that Romero Vargas worked in Stamford as a volunteer EMT, but he is "not currently active."

On the morning of Sept. 11, an Eastern Middle School student reported that while walking on the paved pathway in the area of the school's tennis courts near Lockwood Road and Breezemont Avenue, she was grabbed from behind in a "bear hug" by an unknown man, Det. Allen Arrington of the Greenwich Police Department explained in an arrest warrant.

The girl's backpack and another bag were on her back, "which partially obstructed the contact and prevented the suspect from making full body contact with her back and buttocks as he attempted to pull her closer into his body," Arrington wrote.

The girl told police the restraint lasted approximately three seconds before the man turned around and fled, the warrant said, noting the girl was briefly able to see the man's posterior profile.

The man was described as an adult of medium height, wearing a dark-colored hat, sunglasses, a dark-colored long-sleeve top, light-colored shorts, and dark-colored sneakers, the warrant said.

Investigators reviewed nearby surveillance footage and noticed a dark-colored four-door sedan parking on Breezemont Avenue at 7:58 a.m., and a man wearing similar clothing exiting the vehicle and walking towards the paved pathway, the warrant said.

The same man was seen running away from the pathway area and leaving in the same car at approximately 8:09 a.m., the warrant said.

In footage from the day before the incident, on Sept. 10, the same car was observed in the area and the same man was seen following the girl on the paved pathway, according to the warrant.

"Of note, based on the review of surveillance footage, it appears the suspect's actions on September 10, 2025 were consistent with a 'dry run' or stalking activity designed to monitor the victim's routine," Arrington said.

Investigators sifted through License Plate Reader data in Greenwich using vehicle characteristics derived from surveillance footage and identified the suspect vehicle as a 2013 Nissan Altima registered to Romero Vargas, the warrant said.

Just eight hours after the incident, the vehicle was located at Romero Vargas's job in Old Greenwich, and officers responded where they spoke with him, according to the warrant.

A timeline provided by Romero Vargas from that morning did not match with collected evidence, the warrant explained, and police said his statements were "inconsistent, evasive, and deceptive."

Notably, Romero Vargas told police he went to Staples that morning to drop off a package and believed had a receipt with a timestamp of 8:10 a.m., the warrant said.

Arrington noted in the warrant police did not disclose the specific time of the grabbing incident to Romero Vargas.

Romero Vargas later produced a Staples receipt which showed a timestamp of 8:19 a.m., and security footage from Staples confirmed he was there around that time.

"Romero Vargas appeared to present the Staples receipt as a pre-planned alibi," Arrington wrote.

On Sept. 12, police released a grainy photo appearing to show a person standing next to a vehicle and asked for the public's help to identify them.

That same day, officers received a tip from a resident who reported seeing a man in dark sunglasses and a hat sitting in a vehicle near a Greenwich elementary school staring at a playground.

Police said CDR data, or Call Detail Records, placed Romero Vargas's cell phone at the locations of the incidents on Sept. 4, Sept. 10 and Sept. 11.

Romero Vargas is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Feb. 4.