U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from the Bronx, has blasted New York leaders for failed criminal justice reforms that enabled a “homicidal rampage” in broad daylight, resulting in the murders of three innocent people. Torres, in a fiery letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Mayor Eric Adams, both Democrats, accused the Department of Correction (DOC) of authorizing the early release of Ramon Rivera, a violent, mentally ill man who had attacked a correction officer.
Torres claimed that the bureaucrat who authorized Rivera’s early release should be fired, and that those who cannot be entrusted with public safety should no longer be employed by the people of New York. He also accused the city’s DOC of being the “worst offender” in Rivera’s case, after releasing him four months early for “good behavior” despite the Bellevue assault.
The congressman argued that the tragedies are preventable, but neither the city nor the state seems to possess the political will to prevent them. He blamed the state for refusing to grant the mayor the legal authority he needs to prevent dangerous people from roaming the streets, and the city for refusing to hold DOC accountable for the early release of a demonstrably dangerous criminal.
Adams, in a news briefing, placed some of the blame on Hochul, calling on Albany to give city police greater power to institutionalize people. The incident has highlighted the ongoing issues of homelessness, mental illness, and violent recidivism in New York City.