Manhattan man charged after two hate-motivated stabbings

A 51-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and hate crimes following two separate, daylight stabbings on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Raul Morales was arrested after allegedly attacking a 57-year-old Asian man and a 50-year-old Jewish man within minutes of each other, an incident that has heightened concerns about bias-motivated violence in New York City.

According to the New York City Police Department, the first attack occurred around 1:30 p.m. near West 84th Street and Central Park West, where the Asian man was stabbed in the back. Shortly afterward, a second attack took place approximately two blocks away near West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. There, the Jewish man, who was wearing a yarmulke and had just left a nearby synagogue, was stabbed in the torso with a screwdriver. Both victims were transported to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where they remained in stable condition and are expected to survive.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that, based on victim and witness accounts, Morales repeatedly yelled "Allahu Akbar" during both assaults. Authorities emphasized there is no known connection between Morales and either...