Overview
- The attacks unfolded in broad daylight near West 84th Street and West 86th Street on Thursday, when two men were stabbed minutes apart and taken to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition and expected to survive.
- Police arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales after he fled and then barricaded himself in an apartment on Amsterdam Avenue between West 88th and 89th streets, and officers recovered a weapon near West 86th Street.
- NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said victim and witness statements indicate the attacker yelled 'Allahu Akbar,' and the department's Hate Crimes Task Force is evaluating whether the incidents meet the legal standard for a bias-motivated crime.
- Officials say there is no known prior connection between Morales and the victims, and investigators have reported that early evidence suggests mental‑health issues may have been a factor in the attacks.
- The stabbings occurred near several Jewish institutions on Tisha B'Av and have drawn public condemnation and heightened community alarm as detectives continue forensic work, question the suspect, and determine potential charges.