Overview
- Two unprovoked stabbings on July 23, 2026, near synagogues on Manhattan’s Upper West Side left a 57‑year‑old Asian‑American man needing surgery to remove a knife and a 50‑year‑old Jewish man hospitalized with a chest puncture.
- A witness followed the suspect to his apartment and police arrested Raul Morales the same day, recovering a screwdriver and other items investigators link to the attacks.
- A Manhattan grand jury indicted Morales on Sept. 8, 2026, charging him with multiple counts including attempted murder in the second degree and first‑degree assault as hate crimes under New York law.
- Prosecutors say their case relies on witness statements, courtroom filings that report shouted slogans during the incidents, and text messages recovered from Morales’s phone that contain alleged antisemitic content.
- Both victims are expected to recover, city and faith leaders condemned the violence and called for unity, and the Manhattan DA’s Hate Crimes Unit is moving the case forward with enhanced penalties possible if the hate‑crime allegations are proven.