The suspected lunatic behind Monday’s fatal stabbing in Manhattan has a long criminal history and was released from Rikers Island just a month before the horrific attacks.

Ramon Rivera, 51, who sources identified as a person of interest in the fatal stabbing, was released from prison Oct. 17 after serving time for a string of recent burglary and assault charges. He spent most of the year in prison. His release surprised Mayor Eric Adams; NYPD investigators are investigating how a repeat offender with a history of mental illness was allowed to go free despite his recent conviction, Adams said.

Deadly Stabbing Spree

Rivera killed three people and injured several others in a stabbing attack on Monday. “We’re still reviewing his record, but there’s a real question as to why he’s on the street,” Adams said.

Court documents reveal Rivera was arrested again the same day he was released and is facing a grand theft charge for allegedly stealing an acrylic bowl worth nearly $1,500 from the upscale Jonathan Adler store in Tribeca in December 2023, according to the New York Post.

Manhattan prosecutors requested bail, but the judge ordered him to appear in court on Dec. 4 and be released on non-monetary conditions, records show.

Sources say Rivera has been arrested at least eight times in New York City and has a long history of mental health struggles and run-ins with law enforcement in multiple states.

While many aspects of Rivera’s past remained unclear as of Monday evening, available information paints a picture of a troubled and sometimes violent individual who lived outside the law for decades.

His most recent stint in custody began Feb. 19, when NYPD officers arrested him in connection with a string of burglaries in Manhattan, sources said.

Long Rap sheet

Sources said the thefts date back to December 2023, when a thief broke the glass doors and windows of taverns and tobacco shops and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and lighters.

Rivera remained in custody at Rikers Island for several months and prosecutors consolidated the theft charges into a single indictment, the sources added.

In May, Rivera was placed in Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric ward, where authorities said he assaulted a corrections officer, sources said.

Sources revealed that in August, he pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 364 days in prison. The following month, he also pleaded guilty to assaulting a corrections officer and received a 90-day sentence to be served concurrently with the burglary sentence.

Rivera was eventually released after serving three-quarters of his main sentence, which totaled nine months, sources said. his encounters NYPD This includes two mental health incidents in November and December 2023, according to sources.

The NYPD considered Rivera a burglary suspect and arrested him as a fugitive in Union City, New Jersey, in January. to suspect Sources said there was a theft incident. Around the same time, Hoboken police detained him on two criminal mischief charges.

Rivera also has a long criminal history in multiple states. He was arrested for assault in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2017, the sources added. Inside FloridaAccording to sources, authorities had arrested him multiple times since 2003 on charges ranging from domestic violence to soliciting prostitutes and driving under the influence.