ask Force, the U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Coast Guard. The FBI also assisted in the investigation.

 This arrest demonstrates that time does not erase accountability,  said Wing Chau, the U.S. marshal for the District of Rhode Island.  For more than twenty years, Ronald Fischer believed he had successfully escaped justice. The men and women of the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, together with our partners, remained committed to ensuring that day would eventually come. 

The victim, Cheryl Gingerich, told NBC 10 in an exclusive interview that news of Fischer's arrest made her happy.

The trauma of the incident affected nearly every aspect of her life, she said, leaving her afraid to leave her home and forcing her to abandon her career as an English professor.

 I always lived in fear of seeing him again because I never felt that he was far away,  she told the outlet.

Fischer was arraigned in Manhattan on Friday, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which confirmed that he was  remanded and waived extradition. 

It is not clear whether Fischer has an attorney at this time.

Samantha Cookinham contributed.