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Two men were killed and one woman was critically injured in an “unprovoked” New York City knife attack on Monday morning, officials said.

The suspect, a 51-year-old homeless man, was apprehended by cops after bystanders identified him, the New York Post reported of NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny’s words at an afternoon press briefing.

“Today, we have three innocent New Yorkers, just going about their lives, who were the victim of a terrible, terrible assault,” Kenny told reporters. “It is a clear, clear example of the criminal justice system, mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers.”

The two fatalities were a 36-year-old construction worker and a 68-year-old man who was fishing when they were stabbed. 

A 36-year-old woman was also stabbed several times and is still in serious condition in the hospital. 

Multiple people who saw the attacks — which reportedly took place on different Manhattan streets about two hours apart — helped police track down the alleged perpetrator.

“Once [Officer Robert Garvey] was alerted that this perpetrator was possibly involved in a crime, thinking that maybe it was a robbery, he detained him, and obviously at this point, information is coming over the radio, the detective squad gets involved,” Kenny said. “We start putting the pieces together and realize it’s part of the three attacks that have taken place [this] morning.

“As of right now, these attacks seem to be unprovoked, that he just walked up to them and began to attack them with the knives.”

Mayor Eric Adams (D) thanked Garvey for saving lives.

“If Officer Garvey was not there, these random acts of violence, this person conceivably would have continued those random acts of violence,” he said. “So, he saved the lives of fellow New Yorkers.”

The suspect is a resident of Bellevue Men’s Shelter and has a long rap sheet, sources told the Post.

The man, who has not been named by law enforcement, was said to have five burglary arrests since December 2023.

He was also arrested for assaulting a corrections officer in May, sources told the Post.

“Court records show he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail with non-monetary conditions,” the outlet reported. “He also pleaded guilty to burglary and assault charges from three separate cases in recent months, for which he received jail time.”

“There’s some real questions that we need to look at on why he was on the street, and he has some severe mental health issues that should have been examined, and that’s what we’re looking to spot in the investigation,” Adams said.

It is unclear what latest charges the suspect will face.