NEW YORK, July 24 (Our New York News) — Police in Manhattan took a 51-year-old man into custody after two men were stabbed on the Upper West Side shortly after 1:30 p.m. Thursday, with investigators examining the assaults as a possible hate crime, the NYPD and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
Mamdani said he was briefed on the case and that officers arrested Raul Morales in connection with both assaults. In a statement, he said witness and victim accounts indicated the attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar” during both attacks.
The NYPD said the stabbings happened near Central Park West and nearby streets on the Upper West Side. Police said the first victim was stabbed in the back, and the second man was stabbed in the torso or chest.
Both men were taken to Mount Sinai West and were reported in stable condition, according to police and NBC New York. ABC News separately reported that one victim was in critical condition, but did not identify which man.
Investigators had not said in the available statements whether charges would be filed or whether the case would be formally designated as a hate crime.
