WASHINGTON -- During the Jan. 6 riot, a Trump supporter allegedly blindsided and pushed a Capitol Police officer across a ledge. The FBI arrested him at his Queens home on Wednesday in the midst of the 2021 riot.
According to court documents, Ralph Joseph Celentano (54), is accused of assaulting an officer during the performance of their duties. According to a law enforcement source, Celentano is not employed.
According to authorities, Celentano was wearing a Trump hat and had a "very distinctive folding chair" strapped to his back. The man was identified as #ChairGuy by online sleuths searching for Jan. 6 suspects. He was also listed as individual #107 in the FBI's Capitol Violence website.
According to the FBI, the Capitol Police officer identified as "K.E." said that he remembered being "blind-sided" by his back in a "football type tackle" and fell to the terrace below.
"Officer K.E. According to the FBI affidavit, he believed he suffered injuries from the fall. However, he was so high on adrenaline that he couldn't be certain." "Officer K.E. was a veteran of the Iraq war and recalled thinking, 'I didn’t survive a battle to end like this.'
According to the FBI affidavit, Celentano was also involved in other physical confrontations with police officers on Jan. 6.
Online sleuths may have played a part in Celentano's case. According to the FBI affidavit, Celentano was "found" in a photo that was posted publicly to a social networking account. According to the bureau, Celentano was confirmed by interviewing another person in the photos on social media. This person had been Celentano's friend for over 13 years.
The FBI obtained EZ Pass information from a vehicle owned by Celentano's partner. It showed that the vehicle left Broad Channel, New York at 3 a.m. ET on the morning of the riot, and returned to Broad Channel at 7:30 p.m. ET on January 7.
NBC New York reported Celentano's arrest. They also stated that there was a large law enforcement presence at Celentano’s home.
On Wednesday, Guy Reffitt was arrested. This was the first Jan. 6 defendant trial. After only two hours of deliberation on Tuesday, jurors sentenced Reffitt to all five charges.
Federal authorities claim that the FBI has made 775 arrests related to Jan. 6 attacks. Online sleuths who investigated the Jan. 6 attack have identified hundreds of defendants and counted more that 2,500 people who unlawfully entered or assaulted law enforcement officers. There are still hundreds of people listed on the FBI website.
