NYC fatal stab spree suspect Ramon Rivera never did more than year in jail despite arrests, mental health woes

NEW YORK — Despite multiple arrests and a history of mental health problems, Ramon Rivera, accused of killing three strangers in a wild Manhattan stabbing spree, was never sentenced to more than a year in jail.

He was most recently release from Rikers Island on Oct. 17 after serving two-thirds of a 364-day burglary sentence.

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said Ramon Rivera’s time in and out of jail is a “classic example of the criminal justice system, the mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers.”

Here’s a rundown of Rivera’s run-ins with the law, which began more than two decades ago in Florida.

2003: Rivera is arrested for assault in Polk County, Florida.

2006: He’s arrested for soliciting a prostitute in Sarasota, Florida,

July 1, 2009: Rivera is arrested for drunk driving in Manatee County, Florida.

Dec. 30, 2009: He’s taken in on an arrest warrant for never returning to court on the prostitution arrest in Sarasota three years earlier.

2010: He’s arrested on a probation violation in Manatee County.

July 15, 2017: After laying low for more than six years, Rivera resurfaces in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is arrested for assault.

Aug. 29, 2018: While in Columbus, Ohio, he’s charged with assault.

Nov. 19, 2023: Now in New York City, cops find Rivera in Flushing, Queens, lying on a curb complaining of pain in his left arm. Cops at the time noted he was acting erratically and treated him as an emotionally disturbed person but it was not clear if he was hospitalized.

Dec. 7, 2023: At the ritzy Jonathan Adler store on West Broadway near Broome St. in Soho, Rivera is spotted on surveillance camera with another man swiping a bowl valued at $1,495. An NYPD detective later recognizes one of the two men as Rivera thanks to the murder suspect’s tell-tale bushy salt-and-pepper beard, according to court documents.

Dec. 8, 2023: Rivera, while in downtown Brooklyn, calls 911 claiming he is feeling “suicidal and homicidal.” Medics takes him to Woodhull Hospital.

Dec. 11, 2023: Three days later he is outside the Kips Bay Convenience Store on Second Ave. near E. 31st St. where he bashes a store window with a brick at 3:50 a.m. He runs off with tobacco, cigarettes, and $1,900 in cash, cops said.

Dec. 13, 2023: Cops arrest him on a petty larceny charge in the Tremont section of the Bronx.

Dec. 24, 2023: He returns to the Kips Bay Convenience Store, bashes another window and enters with a black bag and a suitcase. He fills the suitcase and bag with cartons of cigarettes and flees the store only to be apprehended by responding police. Cops charge him with grand larceny and burglary for this crime as well as the break-in on Dec. 11. The charges were not considered bail-eligible, so he was given supervised release, meaning he was enrolled in a program meant to assure his return to court.

Dec. 31, 2023: At 6:30 a.m., he smashes the glass door of a bodega on Maiden Lane in the financial district. He goes through the entrance he just made, goes behind the counter, puts $5,200 worth of vapes and $1,800 worth of cigarette cartons in a black garbage bag and runs off.

Jan 2: At 3:11 a.m. Rivera grabs a red brick and smashes the glass front door of Grand Snacks on Third Ave. near E. 39th St. in Kips Bay, where he steals $600 worth of vapes and $50 in lighters.

Jan 14: At 3:15 a.m., he goes back to Grand Snacks, where he breaks in again and steals nearly $3,000 worth of cigarettes. A worker in the back of the store witnessed the theft.

Jan. 15: He’s arrested for theft in Union City, N.J.

Jan. 17: He’s arrested on two counts of criminal mischief in which he damaged property in Hoboken.

Jan. 18: While in custody in Hoboken, he’s arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant for not responding to court on the theft arrest in Union City.

Feb. 19: Cops take Rivera into custody, charging him with the burglaries at the Financial District bodega, Grand Snacks and is indicted on the two burglaries at the Kips Bay Convenience store. A judge ordered him held on $15,000 bail. He spends his time at Rikers and Bellevue Hospital, where he’s undergoing psychological care.

May 7: While at Bellevue, he attacks city Department of Correction Officer Carol Garcia, punching and kicking her repeatedly and forcing her into a wall, according to court papers. After he’s subdued, Garcia allegedly kicks him in the head. Cops charge Rivera at the scene. Garcia was charged with assault last week following a city Department of Investigation probe.

Aug. 5: He pleads guilty to the burglaries and is sentenced to 364 days in jail, which includes five months in jail he’s already served.

Sept. 4: While in custody, he pleads guilty to assaulting Correction Officer Rivera and is sentenced to 90 days in jail. The sentencing runs concurrently with the burglary conviction.

Oct. 17: After serving two-thirds of his sentence, which is common city Department of Correction practice, Rivera is released and is quickly re-arrested for stealing the bowl from the Jonathan Adler store back in December. He’s charged with petty larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office asked for bail but Rivera was released with no bail. The charges did not require bail, officials said.

Nov. 18: Rivera allegedly goes on a rampage through Manhattan, randomly killing three people.