They Delayed, Maria Died

Just days ago we asked, “Are New York’s leaders waiting for an innocent to get killed before they do something about this threat” of dangerous mentally ill people roaming the city’s streets? Now Jermaine Foster, 26, faces murder charges in the death of Maria Ambrocio.

She was pronounced dead Saturday from a head injury suffered when Foster slammed into her Friday, allegedly fleeing after snatching a cellphone from a woman in Times Square hours after declaring himself an “African prince” amid a home invasion.

His only arrest came last month, for allegedly groping a woman a few blocks south of Times Square. That was a warning sign: He went homeless after his dad (and chief caretaker) died. And his stepfather noted, “When he don’t take his medication he might get a little angry.”

Also: “The city gave him a social worker” — which plainly wasn’t enough to prevent this tragedy. Indeed, the stepdad says, “He’s been in and out of the hospital for mental issues” and: “He’s been in the system almost a year.” “The system” is a horrific joke.

“If city and state leaders don’t get serious, they’ll have blood on their hands when some attacker finally puts his victim not in the hospital but in the morgue,” we wrote in Tuesday’s Post. Now it’s happened. Will they at last get serious?

City Hall must divert mental-health money from the useless ThriveNYC to focus on New York’s estimated 12,000 mentally ill homeless. Every one should be in a real-time tracking database, with those showing signs of drastic decline targeted for outreach to get them into supportive care.

And state lawmakers must beef up Kendra’s Law — named for another woman killed by an unmedicated homeless man — to allow for more involuntary commitment of dangerous people.

Enough. Every day of added delay ups the odds of another tragedy.