NEW YORK — A man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder following a series of random stabbings that resulted in the deaths of three individuals in Manhattan, as confirmed by police officials on Tuesday.
Ramon Rivera, 51, was apprehended after authorities discovered him with blood on his clothing, as well as two kitchen knives in his possession. He is currently awaiting arraignment. An inquiry about his legal representation was made but has yet to receive a response.
In a press conference held Monday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams expressed the community’s shock, stating, “Three New Yorkers. Unprovoked attacks that left us searching for answers on how something like this could happen.”
Authorities are investigating the motives behind the attacks, which occurred within a span of 2.5 hours on Monday. New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny remarked, “No words exchanged. No property taken. Just attacked, viciously. He just walked up to them and began to attack them with the knives.”
The first attack took place on West 19th Street, where a 36-year-old construction worker, Angel Lata Landi, was stabbed while near his work site close to the Hudson River shortly before 8:30 a.m. About two hours later, a 68-year-old man who was fishing in the East River near East 30th Street fell victim to a similar assault and subsequently died shortly after.
The name of the fisherman has not yet been disclosed. Following these incidents, the suspect moved north toward the riverfront, where, around 10:55 a.m., a 36-year-old woman identified as Wilma Augustin was attacked multiple times in the vicinity of the United Nations headquarters on East 42nd Street. She succumbed to her injuries later that day at a hospital.
A cabdriver witnessed the third attack and promptly notified the authorities stationed nearby at First Avenue and East 46th Street, which led to Rivera’s swift apprehension by an officer.
This violent episode unfolded in a city that has seen crime become a focal point in political discussions, particularly in the wake of the chaos that followed the pandemic lockdowns. Although homicides in New York City have dropped 14% over the past two years, serious assaults have experienced a roughly 12% increase, as per police data.
Notably, recent public stabbings have raised concerns, including a fatal incident at the Coney Island subway station that occurred just weeks prior to these attacks. Adams, a member of the Democratic Party, termed the violence witnessed on Monday as “a clear, clear example” of failings in the criminal justice system and other areas of governance.
The perpetrator of Monday’s attacks, who is reportedly homeless, had recently been sentenced in connection with a criminal case and was arrested last month for grand larceny, according to officials.
This series of stabbings surfaced three years after a similar spree on a subway line that resulted in two fatalities and two additional injuries within a short period. Additionally, in 2019, four individuals sleeping on the streets and in doorways in Chinatown were brutally murdered, with a fifth victim sustaining severe injuries early one Saturday morning.