Mayor Says Public Mental Health Crisis is Reason For NYC Stabbing Spree

New York City Mayor Eric Adams emphasized that the stabbing of three people in Manhattan on Monday indicated that the city needs to continue to revamp its public mental health system, especially for the homeless.

Ramon Rivera, 51, who has a previous history of mental health struggles, was arrested by the police for killing three people. During his regular Tuesday press conference, the mayor said he would look into why the suspect was able to remain on the streets.

“This is the failure of our unwillingness to face the problem… People need care. And I just refuse to act like it doesn't exist," said Adams.

The mayor said he believed involuntary removal, a system that allowed police to intervene and hospitalize citizens deemed mentally unfit, was necessary for the city. 

“Everybody said I was inhumane, that we just want to institutionalize people. Well, this is the result of that. This is the result of not taking actions and ignoring people who need help,” said Adams, emphasizing the need for more psychiatric beds. 

The mayor said one solution to improve public safety is for state legislators to pass the Supportive Intervention Act, which would amend the Mental Hygiene Law and broaden grounds for involuntary removal.

“People need community. They need care. They need to be stabilized,” he said.

After the city introduced a new police department drone program, the mayor said drones were not part in capturing Rivera. Instead, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry instituted the emergency notification system, which allowed the NYPD to get information via smartphone. 

Adams also briefly discussed his support for Governor Kathy Hochul and her decision to reinstate congestion pricing at $9 per vehicle from the previous model of $15.

"And, you know, when you're a leader, you make tough decisions," he said.

The mayor did not think President-elect Donald Trump would suddenly take federal funds away from fixing Penn Station just because congestion pricing is back on the table. Communicating with the incoming administration will be key, he said.

"When I said that, listen, let's turn down the temperature and let's work together for the City of New York, all of a sudden we got a different energy. You know?" the mayor said.

Adams also addressed the city's dwindling water supply, as the city entered a drought warning, a first since 2002.

“Who would have thought we would be praying for rain here in November?” said Adams.

With a lack of rainfall, the New York City Fire Department responded to 271 brush fires between Nov. 1 and Nov. 14.

The mayor urged New Yorkers to conserve water, including flushing the toilet less often and running the dishwasher and washing machine only when full. 

“We're hoping we don't have to go to the next level of the emergency level,” Adams said.

The city also paused the Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project as a measure to try and retain the city's water resource as much as possible.  

With a new mayoral race on the way (Democratic primaries are in June), many Democratic rivals who attended a large rally for universal child care on Tuesday took jabs at the mayor for how he has handled the child care crisis.

“When you are running, you can say anything. Go look at my promises that I made on a campaign trail and see how I lived them out,” said Adams.

Meanwhile, the mayor said he met with Trump during a Ultimate Fighting Championship fight at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.

"You know, we exchanged pleasantries and I didn't hear— it was a lot of noise. So I didn’t hear exactly what he was saying. But it was something to the tune of that, you know, you are one of the greatest mayors the city has ever had," said Adams, who also indicated that he bought his own ticket to the event.