Overview
- Two men — a 57‑year‑old Asian man and a 50‑year‑old Jewish man — were stabbed in separate daytime attacks on the Upper West Side and were taken to Mount Sinai–St. Luke’s Hospital where both were expected to survive.
- Police arrested 51‑year‑old Raul Morales and prosecutors have filed multiple counts including attempted murder, assault and weapons charges with hate‑crime counts tied to the attack on the Jewish victim.
- Prosecutors say Morales first stabbed the Asian man with a knife and then, after passing a synagogue, stabbed the Jewish man with a screwdriver while witnesses and victims reported he shouted religious and political phrases.
- Investigators executed a search of Morales’s apartment and removed books and religious materials as evidence and a judge ordered Morales held without bail and sent for a psychiatric evaluation.
- The attacks prompted neighborhood rallies and sharp criticism of Mayor Zohran Mamdani from Jewish leaders who say his rhetoric has worsened tensions while city officials and advocates call for stepped up hate‑crime prevention as investigators continue to determine motive.