Manhattan stabbing spree suspect Ramon Rivera held without bail after arraignment on murder charges, officials say
Ramon Rivera is lead from the 10th Precinct following his arrest in the fatal stabbings of three people in Manhattan on Monday. Credit: Ed Quinn
Ramon Rivera, the homeless suspect in the unprovoked stabbing deaths of three New Yorkers across Manhattan on Monday, appeared in court on the three first-degree murder charges late Tuesday and was ordered held without bail.
In an appearance before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Janet McDonnell, a criminal complaint was unsealed which accused Rivera of going on a vicious stabbing spree around the Midtown Manhattan area. He entered no formal plea in the case.
Prosecutors asked that Rivera be given a psychiatric examination but McDonnell didn’t order one, officials said. McDonnell scheduled Nov. 22 for the next court appearance. Defense attorney Eric Darcy didn’t return a request for comment.
Killed in the attacks were Angel Gustavo Landi, 36, of Peekskill, who was stabbed in front of 444 West 19th St. Wilma Augustin, 36, of Manhattan and Chang Wang, 67. Both Wang and Augustin lived in Manhattan. Relatives of the victims could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Rivera, 51, had a history of eight prior arrests, including some out of state, and also of being the subject of incidents where the NYPD responded to his behavior in calls about an emotionally disturbed person, police said.
NYPD officials also said that Rivera was recently released in October from a city jail after serving about nine months of a 364-day sentence for a series of commercial burglaries. Officials noted it is common for suspects serving less than a year sentence to be released after about two-thirds of the time has passed. He also served a concurrent sentence of 90 days for allegedly assaulting a correction officer, the NYPD said.
Rivera’s mental health issues, as well as his recent release from city jail, have sparked a call from New York Mayor Eric Adams for an investigation about the case. Tuesday during his weekly news briefing with reporters, the mayor said his administration is conducting an inquiry into the missed opportunities by mental health workers who had prior contact with Rivera.
"We’re going to do a case study and analyze it, not in the desire of, now we want to point fingers and say, ‘well, why’d you miss this/ why’d you miss that? ...’ but say, ‘how can we do better,’" Adams said.
Adams also praised a cabbie who raised the first alarm about a robbery allegedly being committed Monday, which alerted NYPD officer Robert Garvey, of Long Island, who reacted by capturing Rivera.
"Hats off to that officer," said Adams about Garvey. “ If that officer did not take action, we would have had more casualties."
NYPD officials did not make Garvey available for comment Tuesday.
Police said they recovered two bloody kitchen knives and bloody clothing when Rivera was arrested.
According to the NYPD, Rivera had two instances in 2023 in which he appeared to acting erratically, once in Queens and another time in Brooklyn.
During the Brooklyn incident, Rivera allegedly called 911 to say he was feeling suicidal and homicidal. Officers took Rivera to a hospital for evaluation, according to a report.
Ramon Rivera, the homeless suspect in the unprovoked stabbing deaths of three New Yorkers across Manhattan on Monday, appeared in court on the three first-degree murder charges late Tuesday and was ordered held without bail.
In an appearance before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Janet McDonnell, a criminal complaint was unsealed which accused Rivera of going on a vicious stabbing spree around the Midtown Manhattan area. He entered no formal plea in the case.
Prosecutors asked that Rivera be given a psychiatric examination but McDonnell didn’t order one, officials said. McDonnell scheduled Nov. 22 for the next court appearance. Defense attorney Eric Darcy didn’t return a request for comment.
Killed in the attacks were Angel Gustavo Landi, 36, of Peekskill, who was stabbed in front of 444 West 19th St. Wilma Augustin, 36, of Manhattan and Chang Wang, 67. Both Wang and Augustin lived in Manhattan. Relatives of the victims could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Rivera, 51, had a history of eight prior arrests, including some out of state, and also of being the subject of incidents where the NYPD responded to his behavior in calls about an emotionally disturbed person, police said.
NYPD officials also said that Rivera was recently released in October from a city jail after serving about nine months of a 364-day sentence for a series of commercial burglaries. Officials noted it is common for suspects serving less than a year sentence to be released after about two-thirds of the time has passed. He also served a concurrent sentence of 90 days for allegedly assaulting a correction officer, the NYPD said.
Rivera’s mental health issues, as well as his recent release from city jail, have sparked a call from New York Mayor Eric Adams for an investigation about the case. Tuesday during his weekly news briefing with reporters, the mayor said his administration is conducting an inquiry into the missed opportunities by mental health workers who had prior contact with Rivera.
"We’re going to do a case study and analyze it, not in the desire of, now we want to point fingers and say, ‘well, why’d you miss this/ why’d you miss that? ...’ but say, ‘how can we do better,’" Adams said.
Adams also praised a cabbie who raised the first alarm about a robbery allegedly being committed Monday, which alerted NYPD officer Robert Garvey, of Long Island, who reacted by capturing Rivera.
"Hats off to that officer," said Adams about Garvey. “ If that officer did not take action, we would have had more casualties."
NYPD officials did not make Garvey available for comment Tuesday.
Police said they recovered two bloody kitchen knives and bloody clothing when Rivera was arrested.
According to the NYPD, Rivera had two instances in 2023 in which he appeared to acting erratically, once in Queens and another time in Brooklyn.
During the Brooklyn incident, Rivera allegedly called 911 to say he was feeling suicidal and homicidal. Officers took Rivera to a hospital for evaluation, according to a report.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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