Guilty Plea In Violent Pelham Manor Home Invasion

PELHAM MANOR, NY — A Bronx man who held a family at gunpoint while attempting to burglarize their Pelham Manor home in 2019 pleaded guilty to Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree on Tuesday, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced.

Rick Scocozza, a persistent violent felony offender, faces a sentence ranging from a minimum of 12 years to life to a maximum of 25 years to life in state prison.

Prosecutors said on Aug. 22, 2019, Scocozza entered a family’s Jackson Avenue home in Pelham Manor through the garage and held two members of the household at gunpoint while demanding they give him money. When Scocozza ordered the victims to take him to a different area of the home to obtain more items, a third member of the household attacked him, causing Scocozza to drop the gun.

One victim picked up the gun, ran out of the house, threw it into a nearby bush and called the police as Scocozza was held down. Pelham Manor Police arrested Scocozza and recovered the gun, which they discovered was a BB gun.

Police also recovered a backpack which Scocozza wore during the incident, filled with duct tape, zip ties, and a pillowcase. Scocozza, who was also wearing camouflaged face paint, had parked his car near the house where police found his face paint inside, along with a receipt for it.

“Being threatened in one’s own home with a gun is traumatizing. Rick Scocozza caused this family pain and torment when he entered their home that night,” Rocah said. “I commend these victims for their bravery in such a frightening situation and I applaud the work of the Pelham Manor Police Department for acting quickly to get and keep this dangerous person off the street.”

The case is before Judge Barry Warhit in Westchester County Court and is being prosecuted by Major Case Bureau Deputy Chief Jonathan Strongin. Scocozza is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11.