Raul Morales Charged with Hate Crimes after Upper West Side Stabbings
On July 23‑24, 2026, 51‑year‑old Raul Morales carried out two separate attacks on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, stabbing a 57‑year‑old Asian man near West 84th Street and a 50‑year‑old Jewish man wearing a kippah near West 86th Street. Witnesses said Morales repeatedly shouted the Islamic phrase “Allahu akbar” during both assaults. Both victims were transported to Mount Sinai‑St. Luke’s Hospital and were reported in stable condition. Morales was arrested, arraigned and held without bail, facing two counts of attempted murder and multiple assault counts, all charged as hate crimes that could total up to 40 years in prison. City officials, including Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul, condemned the attacks and highlighted a rise in hate crimes in New York City. Prosecutors noted no known link between Morales and the victims. Police also found Marxist literature and religious texts in Morales’s apartment during the investigation.