Alleged Killing Spree by Homeless Man Reveals NYC’s ‘Broken System’.
A 51-year-old man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder following a series of stabbings that left three individuals dead in New York City, according to police reports released on Tuesday. Ramon Rivera was apprehended after authorities discovered him with blood-stained clothing and two kitchen knives in his possession.
First Avenue (Manhattan)
“Three New Yorkers. These unprovoked attacks have left us grappling for answers about how such a tragedy could occur,” stated Mayor Eric Adams during a press conference on Monday afternoon. Investigators are trying to determine the motive behind the violent spree, which unfolded over a span of 2 1/2 hours on Monday. “There were no words exchanged, no theft involved. They were simply attacked in a brutal manner,” remarked Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives for the New York Police Department. “He approached them and began his assault with the knives.”
The first victim, a 36-year-old construction worker named Angel Lata Landi, was fatally stabbed on West 19th Street while standing near his work site by the Hudson River shortly before 8:30 a.m. Approximately two hours later, a 68-year-old man was attacked while fishing in the East River near East 30th Street.
Two men lost their lives shortly after the stabbings, according to Kenny. The identity of the fisherman has not been disclosed yet. The suspect then reportedly moved north along the riverfront. At approximately 10:55 a.m., a 36-year-old woman named Wilma Augustin was stabbed multiple times near the United Nations headquarters on East 42nd Street, as stated by Kenny.
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She later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital on Monday, according to police. A cab driver passing by witnessed the third attack and promptly notified the police on nearby First Avenue and East 46th Street, officials reported. An officer quickly apprehended the suspect. Rivera faced arraignment on Tuesday.
The Legal Aid Society, which is representing Rivera, chose not to comment. This violence occurred in a major city where crime has increasingly become a focal point in political discussions and daily worries, especially since the pandemic lockdowns led to empty streets and rising disorder. While homicides in New York City have decreased by 14% over the past two years, serious assaults have risen by about 12%, based on police data. Recent public stabbings have garnered attention, including a deadly incident at the Coney Island subway station just weeks ago. Mayor Adams, a Democrat, described Monday’s violence as “a clear, clear example” of failures within the criminal justice system and other areas.
The suspect involved in Monday’s attacks, who appears to be homeless, had received a sentence in a criminal case a few months prior and was arrested last month for grand larceny, according to officials. This incident occurred three years after a series of stabbings along a subway line that resulted in two fatalities and two injuries within a short time frame. In 2019, four individuals sleeping in doorways and on sidewalks in Chinatown were brutally beaten to death, and a fifth person was seriously injured early one Saturday morning.
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