A former teacher at private schools in West Hartford and Windsor has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from accusations that he had tickled a number of young students.
Nicholas Ricciardi, 47, of Manchester took a plea deal last Friday in Hartford Superior Court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to three felony counts of risk of injury to a minor and one misdemeanor count of breach of peace.
Ricciardi is free on bonds totaling $135,000 while he awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for May 7, court records show. The plea deal he took is not expected to include any prison time.
Ricciardi was first arrested in January 2025 after the parent of a student at the Solomon Schechter Day School, a private school in West Hartford, reported that a teacher had been tickling her daughter and other students in their stomach and waist area, according to court documents. Investigators with the West Hartford Police Department charged Ricciardi with risk of injury to a minor and second-degree breach of peace after obtaining a warrant for his arrest.
A parent of a child from St. Gabriel School in Windsor then came forward after learning of Ricciardi’s arrest and said their child had allegedly been subjected to the same type of behavior when Ricciardi previously taught there, court documents said. The Windsor Police Department arrested Ricciardi in April 2025 on the same charges filed in his first arrest, court records show.
A third parent went to police in May 2025 and said her daughter had been subjected to “inappropriate tickling” from Ricciardi while attending Solomon School, court documents said. The victim told her mother he had tickled her multiple times but only told him to stop after an incident in which he allegedly hurt her while tickling her, court documents said. The mother told police the girl developed behavioral issues after the incident.
West Hartford police obtained another warrant for Ricciardi and arrested him June 2025 on one count of second-degree breach of peace. The same agency arrested him again the following month on charges of risk of injury to a minor and second-degree breach of peace after receiving another similar complaint.
The parents of one of the victims, a 6-year-old girl, filed a lawsuit in September against Solomon Schechter Day School and its administrators. The complaint alleges, among other accusations, that the school failed to conduct a proper background check on Ricciardi.
The mother also alleges in the lawsuit that the school was negligent and failed to protect her daughter. The civil action, which is seeking more than $15,000 in damages, remains pending in Hartford Superior Court. The matter is expected to go to trial in March 2027, court records show.
The attorney representing Ricciardi in his criminal matters did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Wednesday.
