Crime Geraldo Rivera's Son Accused of Biting a Woman and Choking Her Until She Nearly Lost Consciousness Cruz Rivera, the son of Geraldo Rivera, denies the allegations By Chris Harris Chris Harris Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. An award-winning journalist who has worked for Rolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 3, 2018 12:30PM EDT Photo: Geraldo Rivera/Twitter The 30-year-old son of television journalist Geraldo Rivera was released without bail on Wednesday following his arrest the previous evening for alleged domestic violence, PEOPLE confirms. Cruz Rivera was arrested Tuesday evening on assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, aggravated harassment, attempted assault and harassment charges, an NYPD source tells PEOPLE. During his arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that the alleged victim has declined to go forward with the case. Rivera did not enter a plea Wednesday evening, but his attorney, Arthur Aidala, tells PEOPLE Cruz denies the allegations. Police allege the woman was attacked when she stopped by Rivera’s apartment in Washington Heights to collect some of her things. Rivera allegedly bit her hand and leg and choked her until she nearly lost consciousness. Aidala disputes the allegations. “Although we are taking this very seriously, we are cautiously optimistic that when the dust settles, Cruz Rivera will be able to move on with his life with little interruption,” he says. Aidala alleges the accuser has since “sent our client text messages that she was sorry about this and that it won’t go any further and that she loves him.” The accuser, says Aidala, did not call the police Tuesday night. Instead, it was a neighbor who called 911 after hearing what Aidala called a “bad fight.” • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Rivera is scheduled to be back in court for his next hearing in June. Aidala tells PEOPLE Geraldo Rivera, his friend of at least a dozen years, is “very upset” about the allegations against his son. “Anyone whose child is arrested would be upset,” the lawyer explains. “Because these are claims of domestic violence, which Geraldo feels very strongly about and is strongly against, it takes it to a different level. Now that the facts are out, it seems this was a misunderstanding.” Last month, Cruz posted a video to his Facebook, claiming that “40 percent of domestic violence is suffered by men.” The accuser could not be reached for comment.