2024 Manhattan stabbing spree

On November 18, 2024, a man in the Manhattan borough of New York City stabbed three people to death. Police arrested the suspect, who was a violent serial offender with multiple arrests and multiple convictions. The city received criticism for having allowed a violent serial criminal to walk free prior to committing these three killings.

2024 Manhattan stabbing spree
Location	Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Date	November 18, 2024 (2024-11-18)
Attack type	Spree killing
Deaths	3
Accused	Ramon Rivera

WNBC reported that prior to the killings, the killer "had expressed homicidal thoughts and been hospitalized for serious mental illness, according to sources familiar with his case." Furthermore, the killer had previously been sentenced to prison until February 8, 2025, but had been released early due to "good behavior." WNBC reported, "Had he served that full sentence, he would still have been at Rikers rather than on the streets of Manhattan Monday."

CNN wrote of the killings, "The seemingly random killings highlight the challenges confronting New York City and other municipalities across the country as they maneuver a delicate balancing act – how to deal with soaring homelessness and mental illness and its perceived – and actual – impact on public safety." New York City Mayor Eric Adams described the killings as an example of failures of the criminal justice and mental health systems. A letter that was signed by nearly a dozen city and state elected officials, as well as U.S. Congressman Jerry Nadler (whose district includes the locations where the stabbings occurred), demanded accountability, said that the killer was "released into the public without sufficient care or oversight," and that the stabbing spree "is a damning indictment of the failures of the criminal justice and mental health systems in New York City."