NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A woman who was in critical condition after an emotionally disturbed man went on a “vicious” and unprovoked stabbing rampage in Manhattan on Monday morning succumbed to her injuries, bringing the death toll to three, sources told 1010 WINS.
A 51-year-old suspect, Ramon Rivera, who police said is homeless and has a history of arrests and "severe" mental illness was taken into custody in the attacks. No other suspects are being sought, according to police.
“Today, we have three innocent New Yorkers just going about their lives, the victims of a terrible, terrible assault,” Mayor Eric Adams said at an afternoon news conference with NYPD officials.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the attacks—which happened over 2 1/2 hours and across three neighborhoods—appeared to be unprovoked and that the suspect “just walked up to them and began to attack them with knives.”
“No words exchanged, no property taken, just attacked and stabbed viciously,” Kenny said.
The deadly spree began at 8:22 a.m. in Chelsea, where a construction worker was stabbed in the abdomen outside a site where he worked at 444 West 19th St., according to Kenny.
The victim, Angel Lata Landi, 36, of Peekskill, was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where he was pronounced dead at 8:50 a.m.
The suspect fled southbound on Ninth Avenue, and about two hours later, allegedly committed the second attack at 500 East 30th St. in Kips Bay.
The second victim, described as a 68-year-old Asian man, was fishing on the East River at 10:27 a.m. when he was stabbed multiple times throughout the body, officials said. He was also taken to Bellevue and also pronounced dead.
About 30 minutes later, the third victim, Wilma Augustin, 36, of Manhattan, was attacked at 10:55 a.m. at East 42nd Street and First Avenue, right near the United Nations building.
She was stabbed “multiple times through her body,” Kenny said. She was transported to Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition and “fighting for her life.”
Law enforcement sources told 1010 WINS that the woman died of her injuries Monday night.
A cab driver who was in the area witnessed at least part of the attack on her and thought it was a robbery. Police said the cabbie followed the suspect and alerted an NYPD officer, who took the suspect into custody a short time later.
“They recovered two large kitchen knives that are covered in blood,” Kenny said. “His clothing is also covered in blood.”
As the investigation continues, officials didn't indicate a potential motive for the attacks and suggested the victims were randomly targeted based on the evidence so far.
The suspect has at least eight prior arrests in New York, the latest being for a grand larceny in October, officials said. He's also been arrested in New Jersey, Ohio and Florida. Some of the arrests are for violent crimes, officials said.
Adams called it a “clear example of the criminal justice system and mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers.”
“There’s a real question of why he was on the street,” the mayor said. “It’s preliminary now, but he was sentenced a few months ago, and there’s some real questions we need to look at of why he was on the street. And he has some severe mental health issues that should have been examined, and that’s what we’re looking at as part of the investigation.”