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Would-be ninja rapist crashes during getaway and gets caught, deputies say

 
Pinellas Sheriff's deputies arrested Nick James Nardelli on charges of attempted sexual battery, burglary and other counts. [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]
Pinellas Sheriff's deputies arrested Nick James Nardelli on charges of attempted sexual battery, burglary and other counts. [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]
Published Sept. 30, 2014

PALM HARBOR — A 29-year-old Dunedin man was arrested and accused of breaking into a home and attempting to rape a 52-year-old woman while wearing a ninja mask.

Pinellas Sheriff's deputies arrested Nick James Nardelli on charges of attempted sexual battery, burglary and other counts.

Nardelli is accused of entering the woman's Palm Harbor home through an unlocked door, attempting to pin her down, and tying a zip-tie around one of her wrists. But the woman fought back and her attacker eventually fled.

The Sheriff's Office says Nardelli then drove to Tarpon Springs, where he crashed into a sewer drain on Whispering Way. In a nearby trash can, deputies found a Ninja mask, gloves, zip-ties and duct tape. And in Nardelli's vehicle, they found a Walmart receipt for a hammer, a costume, gloves and ties.

According to a release from the Sheriff's Office: "During the interview the suspect admitted to the crime and told deputies he had fantasized about raping the victim."