NEW YORK CITY, NY - Ramon Rivera, 51, was arrested in New York City after allegedly committing a deadly stabbing spree that left a woman and two men dead. Rivera, described as a mentally ill homeless man with at least eight prior arrests, was brought down by a heroic New York Police Officer with the assistance of a group of good Samaritans: a cab driver and a tourist from the UK. He confessed to the brutal killings shortly after his arrest.
According to The New York Post, Rivera was identified as a person of interest by sources who spoke to the outlet and the NYPD has no other suspects at this time Mayor Eric Adams told a press briefing.
“Today, we have three innocent New Yorkers, just going about their lives, who were the victim of a terrible, terrible assault,” he said. “It is a clear, clear example of the criminal justice system, mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers.”
Surveillance imagery showed a bearded man, suspected to be Rivera concealing a large knife in his sweatshirt outside a building on West 19th Street approximately 20 minutes before the first attack. What followed was several hours of carnage from Chelsea in the west to the East River and would leave a 36-year-old construction worker, Angel Lata Landi, Chang Wang 67-year-old man fishing along the East River, and 36-year-old Wilma Augustin dead.
"An 8-year-old child does not have their own mother. I don’t know how you explain that to an 8-year-old child. I just have to find a way to speak with him, and explain what happened," said Adams.
In a subsequent report, the Post revealed that Rivera was released from Riker’s Island jail in October and was sheltered at Bellevue men’s prior to his arrest. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told reporters in a morning news conference, “As of right now, these attacks seem to be unprovoked, that he just walked up to them and began to attack them with the knives.”
Mayor Adams told reporters that Robert Garvey, the responding officer who ultimately captured Rivera, was aided by a UN Diplomatic Security worker. “If Officer Garvey was not there, these random acts of violence, this person conceivably would have continued those random acts of violence,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the press conference. “So he saved the lives of fellow New Yorkers.”
As of the press conference, it was unknown why Rivera was back on the streets Adams said. “There’s some real questions that we need to look at on why he was on the street, and he has some severe mental health issues that should have been examined, and that’s what we’re looking to spot in the investigation,” the mayor said.
Speaking with reporters shortly after the arrest Garvey told them "I just heard a commotion. Stepped outside and heard what people were saying and reacted," according to Fox News. Adams told the press that Rivera’s attacks were a "clear, clear example of the criminal justice system, mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers."
According to The New York Post, Rivera was identified as a person of interest by sources who spoke to the outlet and the NYPD has no other suspects at this time Mayor Eric Adams told a press briefing.
BREAKING: Arrest Made after 51-year-old Ramon Rivera allegedly stabbed three people to death across Manhattan.
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) November 19, 2024
Suspect went on stabbing spree this morning, killing random people in three different neighborhoods in Manhattan.
Video by Amanda Moses Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/X1zv0vsgXB
“Today, we have three innocent New Yorkers, just going about their lives, who were the victim of a terrible, terrible assault,” he said. “It is a clear, clear example of the criminal justice system, mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers.”
Surveillance imagery showed a bearded man, suspected to be Rivera concealing a large knife in his sweatshirt outside a building on West 19th Street approximately 20 minutes before the first attack. What followed was several hours of carnage from Chelsea in the west to the East River and would leave a 36-year-old construction worker, Angel Lata Landi, Chang Wang 67-year-old man fishing along the East River, and 36-year-old Wilma Augustin dead.
"An 8-year-old child does not have their own mother. I don’t know how you explain that to an 8-year-old child. I just have to find a way to speak with him, and explain what happened," said Adams.
Ramon Rivera, a serial criminal madman, was just arrested after allegedly killing three people in a random stabbing spree across Manhattan.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 19, 2024
It's nothing new: Rivera has been arrested at least 8 times in New York, plus many additional times in Ohio and Florida. He was in Rikers… pic.twitter.com/7DzpPXQnoJ
In a subsequent report, the Post revealed that Rivera was released from Riker’s Island jail in October and was sheltered at Bellevue men’s prior to his arrest. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told reporters in a morning news conference, “As of right now, these attacks seem to be unprovoked, that he just walked up to them and began to attack them with the knives.”
Mayor Adams told reporters that Robert Garvey, the responding officer who ultimately captured Rivera, was aided by a UN Diplomatic Security worker. “If Officer Garvey was not there, these random acts of violence, this person conceivably would have continued those random acts of violence,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the press conference. “So he saved the lives of fellow New Yorkers.”
As of the press conference, it was unknown why Rivera was back on the streets Adams said. “There’s some real questions that we need to look at on why he was on the street, and he has some severe mental health issues that should have been examined, and that’s what we’re looking to spot in the investigation,” the mayor said.
Speaking with reporters shortly after the arrest Garvey told them "I just heard a commotion. Stepped outside and heard what people were saying and reacted," according to Fox News. Adams told the press that Rivera’s attacks were a "clear, clear example of the criminal justice system, mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers."
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