A suspect is in custody accused of fatally stabbing two people and injuring a third across three different locations in unprovoked attacks in Manhattan on Monday morning, the New York Police Department said.
The alleged attacker was caught at 46th Street and 1st Avenue and is currently in custody at a police precinct, police officials announced at a press conference Monday afternoon.
Police believe the suspect was responsible for a stabbing spree across Manhattan starting early Monday morning before he was arrested by officers, officials say.
"These attacks appear to be unprovoked, that he just walked up to them and stabbed them with a knife," said NYPD chief of detectives Joseph Kenny.
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Ramon Rivera, 51, has been identified as the suspect, according to two New York City officials, who say records show he has an extensive criminal history.
Police said the first stabbing occurred at 8:22 a.m. on West 19th Street in Chelsea when a man stabbed a 30-year-old man in the abdomen outside a construction site where the victim was working. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A second stabbing occurred at 30th Street and FDR Dr. in Kips Bay where a 68-year-old man was stabbed and killed while he was fishing near the Water Club, police said. The victim was stabbed multiple times, according to police.
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A third stabbing occurred later Monday morning when a woman was attacked at 42nd Street and 1st Ave in Midtown East shortly before 11 a.m., police said. The woman is believed to be in critical condition at a local hospital.
Police believe the suspect did not take public transit or a vehicle between the stabbing locations.
The suspect has "severe mental health issues" that need examination and there are questions about why he was out on the streets, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference. Adams said the mental health system continues to "fail New Yorkers."
Rivera has been arrested eight times in New York City in the past year, including seven felonies and one misdemeanor. He also has been arrested in Ohio and Florida.
Rivera was released from Department of Corrections custody on Oct. 17 for time served on burglary and assault charges, according to city records.
The NYPD is not looking for any additional suspects, the mayor said.
Notification of next of kin is still pending for the victims, so police are not releasing their names.
The motive for the stabbings is unclear. There were no words exchanged during the attacks and no property was taken, just that the victims were "viciously" stabbed unprovoked, Kenny said.
The investigation is ongoing.
