A man in New York has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbings of three individuals in random attacks across Manhattan, according to police on Tuesday.
Ramon Rivera, 51, was apprehended with blood on his clothing and two kitchen knives, authorities reported.
Mayor Eric Adams expressed his shock at the unprovoked attacks that resulted in the loss of three lives during a news conference on Monday afternoon.
Investigators are trying to understand the motive behind the rampage that occurred within a 2 1/2-hour span on Monday.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny described the attacks as vicious and unprovoked, with the assailant approaching the victims and attacking them with knives without any exchange of words or theft of property.
The first stabbing took place on West 19th Street, where a 36-year-old construction worker named Angel Lata Landi was killed near the Hudson River around 8:30 a.m., followed by the fatal stabbing of a 68-year-old man fishing in the East River near East 30th Street.
Both men succumbed to their injuries shortly after the attacks.
The suspect then moved north along the riverfront and allegedly stabbed a 36-year-old woman named Wilma Augustin near the United Nations headquarters on East 42nd Street. Augustin passed away later at a hospital.
A cab driver witnessed the third attack and promptly alerted the authorities, leading to the suspect’s apprehension on First Avenue and East 46th Street.
Rivera was formally charged on Tuesday, with the Legal Aid Society representing him in court.
The violent incidents occurred in a city where concerns about crime have been heightened in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns. While homicide rates have decreased by 14% in New York City over the past two years, serious assaults have risen by approximately 12%.
Recent public stabbings, including a fatal incident at the Coney Island subway station, have garnered attention.
Mayor Adams attributed Monday’s violence to systemic failures within the criminal justice system and other areas.
The suspect, who is reportedly homeless, had a prior criminal conviction and was arrested for grand larceny last month.
This rampage comes three years after a series of stabbings along a subway line resulted in two deaths and two injuries, as well as a tragic incident in 2019 where four individuals were beaten to death in Chinatown.
By Jennifer Peltz
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