Overview
- Two unprovoked daytime stabbings wounded an Asian man and a Jewish man on the Upper West Side, and both victims were taken to Mount Sinai and expected to survive following Thursday’s attacks.
- The NYPD arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in a nearby apartment building after a brief standoff that involved the Emergency Service Unit and a bystander who led officers to the suspect.
- Officers recovered a knife and a screwdriver at the scene and witness and victim accounts said the attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar,” statements that detectives are treating as evidence to be weighed in the probe.
- Police say there is no known link between Morales and either victim and detectives are evaluating whether the incidents meet the legal standard for hate crimes while also noting initial indications that mental health may have been a factor.
- Local leaders and Jewish security groups have urged prosecutors to pursue hate-crime charges, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s decisions on charges and motive will be the key next developments to watch.