The man arrested after a stabbing spree Monday in New York City was free because the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not want him behind bars, according to new reports.
Three people were stabbed to death Monday in three separate Manhattan locations over a period of more than two and a half hours, according to WNBC-TV.
Ramon Rivera, 51, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Rivera has been living in New York City for a decade, WPIX-TV reported, citing sources it did not name who summed him up as a “homeless recidivist commercial burglar.”
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Rivera had been jailed at Rikers Island on burglary and assault charges from Feb. 19 until Oct. 17, when he was given early release. Upon his release, he was arraigned on a burglary charge from December 2023, but was released at the request of Bragg’s office, WPIX reported.
WPIX reported that the charge against Rivera would normally require him to be jailed.
A report in the New York Post indicated that Manhattan prosecutors wanted Rivera released.
A judge set him free without having to post bail pending a Dec. 4 return to court.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was puzzled as to how a person with a criminal record and mental health issues could be set free.
“We are still looking over his record, but there’s a real question on why he was on the street,” he said.
The Post reported that Rivera has been arrested at least eight times in New York City.
Rivera’s record included charges in Florida that date back to 2003 and charges in Cleveland, Ohio, from 2017.
Here’s surveillance footage of Rivera getting ready to go on his st*bbing spree Monday.
He had numerous arrests in NYC for thefts and burglaries, yet was allowed the opportunity to commit this evil.
It’s unforgivable. Law and order has failed us once again. pic.twitter.com/QN92Ipbhez
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 19, 2024
Video posted to X shows a man who appears to be Rivera removing knives from a backpack after donning a hooded sweatshirt.
According to WNBC, the spree began at 8:22 a.m. on West 19th Street when Angel Lata Landi, of Peekskill, 36, was killed near a construction site where he was working.
About two hours later, a 67-year-old man was stabbed multiple times.
About a half hour later, Wilma Augustin, 36, of Manhattan, was stabbed. She suffered wounds to her chest and left arm and died later in a hospital.
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