NHP man receives probation for Jan. 6

BY BRANDON DUFFY

A New Hyde Park man was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation for leading a group of rioters inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Eric Gerwatowski, 32, was at the front of a crowd outside the Upper House doors when he pulled one of them open after Capitol Police had closed them to prevent rioters from entering, according to federal prosecutors.

After opening the doors, Gerwatowski turned to the crowd behind him and shouted “Let’s go!” as he began to direct rioters inside the building.

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Gerwatowski was sentenced to 24 months’ probation, 30 days home detention, $2,000 restitution to the Architect of the Capitol and 60 hours of community service. He pleaded guilty to interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder in November after being arrested in February last year.

While inside the Capitol, Gerwatowski was livestreamed by another rioter that showed him saying “they’re raping kids and they’re shooting kids” before leaving after being inside for about three minutes, ofcials said.

Gerwatowski was also interviewed outside the Capitol on camera saying “the commies are trying to steal the country” and that he believed the election was stolen.

Gerwatowski is a graduate of Herricks High School Class of 2008, according to classmates.com.

The Daily News reported he was a member of heavy metal rock bands. The website Reverberation lists an Eric Gerwatowski as a vocalist for the band The Optimist. One of the songs featured on The Optimist website is titled “Maladjusted.”

The band’s Facebook page in 2015 shared a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. saying “he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

Ofcials said the Twitter account @SeditionHunters, which is operated by civilians to share information about identifying suspects from the riot, posted pictures of Gerwatowski using the hashtag #lordlonghair.

The FBI was also able to fnd an Instagram account

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