The suspected madman behind a deadly stabbing spree in Manhattan on Monday has a long criminal history and had only been released from Rikers Island a month prior to the horrific attacks.
Ramon Rivera, 51, who sources identified as a person of interest in the deadly stabbing spree, was released from jail on October 17 after serving time for a series of recent burglary and assault convictions. He had spent much of the year in prison. His release has baffled Mayor Eric Adams, who said that NYPD investigators are looking into how a repeat offender with a history of mental illness was allowed to go free despite his recent convictions
Deadly Stabbing Spree
Rivera killed three and left several others injured during the knife attack on Monday. "We are still looking over his record, but there's a real question on why he was on the street," Adams said.
Court documents reveal that Rivera was arrested again on the same day he was released, facing a grand larceny charge for allegedly stealing a nearly $1,500 acrylic bowl from the upscale Jonathan Adler store in Tribeca in December 2023, according to the New York Post.
Manhattan prosecutors sought bail, but a judge ordered his release under non-monetary conditions, with a court appearance scheduled for December 4, according to the records.
Sources indicate that Rivera has been arrested at least eight times in New York City and has a long history of mental health struggles and run-ins with law enforcement across multiple states.
While many aspects of Rivera's background remained unclear as of Monday evening, the available information paints a picture of a troubled and sometimes violent individual who has lived outside the law for decades.
His most recent time in custody began on February 19, when NYPD officers arrested him in connection with a series of burglaries in Manhattan, sources reported.
Long Rap Sheet
The burglaries went back to December 2023, when a thief shattered the glass doors and windows of bodegas and smoke shops, stealing thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, vapes, and lighters, sources said.
Rivera remained in custody at Rikers Island for several months while prosecutors consolidated the burglary charges into one indictment, sources added.
In May, Rivera was placed in the psych ward at Bellevue Hospital, where authorities say he assaulted a corrections officer, according to sources.
By August, he pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to 364 days in prison, sources revealed. The following month, he also pleaded guilty to the assault on the corrections officer, receiving a 90-day sentence to be served concurrently with his burglary term.
Rivera was eventually released after serving three-quarters of his main sentence, which totaled to nine months, sources reported. His encounters with the NYPD also included two mental health incidents in November and December 2023, according to sources.
As the NYPD considered Rivera a suspect in the burglaries, he was arrested in January by police in Union City, New Jersey, as a fugitive and suspect in a theft, sources said. Around the same time, Hoboken police took him into custody on two charges of criminal mischief.
Rivera also has a lengthy criminal history in multiple states. He was arrested in 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio, for assault, sources added. In Florida, authorities had arrested him multiple times since 2003 on charges ranging from domestic violence battery to soliciting prostitutes and driving under the influence, according to sources.
