NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres said Monday that the city and state are “complicit” in last week’s stabbing spree in Manhattan in which a homeless man with mental illness allegedly killed three people.
The Bronx congressman, who is considering a run for governor or potentially mayor, wrote a letter to fellow Democrats Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams to voice his “strong frustration regarding the murder of three New Yorkers at the hands of Ramon Rivera.” See the full letter below.
Rivera, 51, is accused of stabbing two men and a woman to death unprovoked across three neighborhoods on the morning of Nov. 18. He was charged last week with three counts of first-degree murder.
Reports recently came to light revealing that Rivera was released early after serving nine months of a 12-month sentence. He had been serving two sentences concurrently for the crimes of burglary and assault on a correction officer--and was released early under Department of Correction policy.
The assault charge was related to an attack in May on a city correction officer at the psychiatric unit of NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where Rivera had been transferred from Rikers Island.
“If Rivera had been sentenced consecutively rather than concurrently for assaulting a law enforcement officer, the three New Yorkers he murdered would still be alive,” Torres wrote in his letter, going on to say, “The City refuses to hold DOC accountable for the early release of a demonstrably dangerous criminal who went on a stabbing spree.”
During an unrelated press conference Monday, Torres slammed the chain of events that led to Rivera’s alleged rampage within weeks of his October release.
“Not only did the state and city fail to punish him for assaulting a correction officer, but the city released him early for good behavior,” Torres said, adding the murders of three people “is the price that New Yorkers pay when government fails.”
In response to Torres' comments, the Hochul's office released a statement: "This case was a tragic failure of New York City's correctional and judicial systems, as City officials have confirmed. Governor Hochul has prioritized public safety - including by changing laws to allow DAs and judges to hold repeat offenders accountable - and will continue investing in programs that successfully get people with mental illness off the streets and into treatment."
Torres has ramped up his criticism of Hochul as he mulls a run for governor. He told 1010 WINS last week that she is a “well-meaning but ineffective governor” and that a “leadership crisis” in New York led to President-elect Donald Trump’s strong showing in the state this past election.
Torres said he’ll kick off a statewide listening tour next month and will make a decision about a run for governor by early next year. He also hasn’t ruled out a possible run for City Hall.
‘It’s more probable that I’d run for governor than mayor, but nothing’s off the table,” he said.