NYC suspect arrested after two stabbings on Upper West Side, one victim identified as Jewish
Police detained a 51-year-old man after two separate stabbing attacks on the Upper West Side, leaving a Jewish and an Asian victim in stable condition while investigators consider a possible hate-crime motive.
New York City police arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales on Thursday after two men were stabbed in separate incidents on the Upper West Side. The first attack occurred at 84th Street and Central Park West, and the second about half a block away at 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Both victims, aged 57 and 50, suffered torso injuries and were taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where they remain in stable condition.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department is reviewing whether the assaults constitute hate crimes and noted that mental health may have been a factor. "The NYPD’s initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor. They are also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin described the incident as appearing antisemitic, adding, "The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, regardless of their faith or identity." Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who was at the scene, confirmed that one victim was wearing a kippah.
Neighborhood watch group Manhattan Shomrim assisted police, dispatching members and collecting witness statements. The group reported that the attacker fled into nearby public housing before being apprehended several blocks north of the second stabbing site.
The attacks come amid a rise in antisemitic incidents in the city, with the NYPD reporting 178 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes between January and June, representing 55 percent of all hate crimes reported.