The career criminal accused of fatally stabbing three people in an unprovoked attack in Manhattan reportedly gave police a chilling reason for the way he chose his victims.
Ramon Rivera, 51, allegedly killed 36-year-old construction worker Angel Lata Landi, 67-year-old Chang Wang and 36-year-old Wilma Augustin on Monday morning.
He was taken into custody shortly after the third stabbing, when a brave taxi driver confronted him by police officers and began chasing him down First Avenue.
Rivera then spent several hours sleeping in a cell at New York Central Booking – nicknamed the Tombs, a police source said. told the New York Daily News.
“He sleeps like a baby without a care in the world,” the source said.
When he finally woke up, Rivera allegedly made a full confession and waived his Miranda rights. according to the New York Post.
He then allegedly told police that he chose his victims because they were “alone” and “distracted” at the time.
Ramon Rivera, 51, is accused of fatally stabbing three people during an unprovoked rampage through Manhattan on Monday morning
Among his victims was 36-year-old construction worker Angel Lata Landi (photo)
Police have said Rivera’s stabbing began just after 8:20 a.m. when he allegedly stabbed Landi in the abdomen while waiting to be picked up for work in Chelsea.
Just two hours later, Rivera also allegedly fatally stabbed 67-year-old Chang Wang “multiple times in the body” while he was fishing in the East River.
From there, police say, Rivera stabbed 36-year-old Wilma Augustin near the United Nations building. She succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital overnight.
Rivera was arrested shortly after Augustin was stabbed, which a taxi driver saw and reported to police.
The unknown driver then gave chase on First Avenue and called pedestrians for help in the moments before police picked up Rivera at the intersection at East 42nd Street and First Avenue, according to ABC7.
Shocking surveillance footage later obtained by police showed Rivera changing from a T-shirt into a sweatshirt, tan trench coat and a beanie in the moments before he approached Landi.
Rivera was arrested shortly after the third stabbing, which saw a brave taxi driver and reported it to police
A bloody knife found at the scene lies on the sidewalk after Rivera was arrested Monday
The rampage started just after 8:20 am and lasted until almost 11:00 am
But Monday’s stabbing wasn’t the first time Rivera has faced legal trouble.
He had been released from Rikers Island in October after being arrested on charges of third-degree burglary and third-degree assault in February. PIX 11 reports.
Police at the time accused him of being responsible for a pattern of burglaries involving smoke shops and bodegas throughout Manhattan, dating back to December 2023.
Rivera ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges in August and was sentenced to nearly a year in prison, but was released after eight months.
But the day he was released, Rivera was arrested again on grand larceny charges, with prosecutors saying he stole a nearly $1,500 acrylic bowl from a Jonathan Adler store in Tribeca in December 2023.
Prosecutors in Manhattan pushed for bail, but a judge ordered him released under supervision.
Rivera was caught on surveillance footage donning a hoodie, skullcap and gloves before hiding a large knife in his shirt
In all, Rivera has at least eight other arrests in the Big Apple and a history of mental health issues.
In May, he spent several days in the psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital, where police said he assaulted a corrections officer.
Rivera also had two other mental health incidents between November and December 2023.
Police in Union City, New Jersey, then arrested him in January as a fugitive from justice and theft suspect, and Hoboken police took him into custody on two counts of criminal mischief.
But Rivera’s criminal career extends beyond the New York City metropolitan area, with a 2017 arrest in Cleveland, Ohio for assault, and multiple arrests in Florida dating back to 2003 on charges ranging from domestic violence to solicitation prostitutes to even driving under the influence, according to the Post. reports.
Rivera has at least eight other arrests in the Big Apple and has a history of mental health issues
Citing that lengthy criminal history, Judge Janet McDonnell ordered Rivera held without bail on both the murder charges and a fugitive warrant from New Jersey, pending extradition hearings on outstanding warrants in the Garden State. Gothamist reports.
Rivera kept a straight face throughout the hearing, even as Assistant District Attorney Megan Joy recounted how he allegedly attacked three people in the hours-long rampage Monday morning “without any provocation.”
“Rivera embarked on a bloody and violent rampage that claimed the lives of three innocent New Yorkers doing nothing but going about their day,” she argued.
The suspect did not speak during the hearing, although his attorney said he declined to enter a plea until a mental health evaluation is completed.
Meanwhile, Landi’s family is calling for justice.
“He was sick, this person killed my brother and then killed two other people,” Vertha Landi told Gothamist.
“I hope the mayor doesn’t release him, that he works with other (officials) to detain him and not let him leave.”
Landi’s 16-year-old nephew, whom he also raised as his own son told FOX5 he “doesn’t understand why if (Rivera) had committed crimes against him and he had more than eight charges, why they would still release him.”
The family said Landi was born in Ecuador and came to the United States 20 years ago to work and save money while also caring for his cousin, whose mother — his sister — had died.
“This news is devastating because it has left us with a huge hole,” Vertha said, arguing that Rivera “had no right to take my brother’s life.”