NEW YORK, United States — A Manhattan grand jury has indicted a 51-year-old man on attempted-murder and assault charges as hate crimes following two unprovoked stabbing attacks near Upper West Side synagogues.
Raul Morales is accused of attacking the two victims within approximately 12 minutes of each other on July 23.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the first attack occurred at approximately 1:31 p.m. near West 84th Street and Central Park West.
Prosecutors allege Morales approached a 57-year-old Asian American man from behind and stabbed him in the back with a knife. The victim was wearing a baseball cap and walking near a synagogue when he was attacked.
Morales allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the assault and later yelled “Justice for Islam” while passing a synagogue.
The victim arrived at the hospital with the knife still lodged in his back and required surgery to remove it.
Approximately 12 minutes later, Morales allegedly approached a 50-year-old visibly Jewish man wearing a kippah near another synagogue at West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Prosecutors say Morales stabbed the man in the chest with a screwdriver. The victim suffered a puncture wound and a collapsed lung.
A witness followed Morales as he fled toward an apartment building near West 89th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The witness reportedly heard Morales shout “Allahu Akbar” while escaping.
Police tracked Morales to his apartment after receiving several 911 calls. He initially refused to leave the residence but later surrendered. Investigators recovered a screwdriver from the scene of the second attack.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said search warrants subsequently uncovered text messages on Morales’s phone containing antisemitic sentiments. Prosecutors allege the messages constitute additional evidence that antisemitic bias motivated the attacks.
“Raul Morales was allegedly motivated by antisemitism when he attacked two New Yorkers in broad daylight near two Upper West Side synagogues,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said investigators believe Morales attacked the victims because he perceived them to be Jewish.
Morales faces four counts of attempted murder in the second degree as a hate crime, two counts of first-degree assault as a hate crime, two counts of attempted first-degree assault as a hate crime, and two counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime.
He has pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.
The charges remain allegations. Morales is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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