Witnesses recounted the moments surrounding a pair of New York City stabbings being investigated as a possible hate crime, with one calling the scene the “scariest thing” she had ever seen.
The suspect, identified as Raul Morales, 51, is accused of yelling “Allahu Akbar” while stabbing two men on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.
The NYPD is investigating whether bias played a role in the attacks. One victim is Jewish, while the other is Asian, police said.
Police said the stabbings appeared to be separate attacks that occurred near each other. Authorities said there was no known connection between Morales and either victim or between the two victims.
SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY YELLING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,’ STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACK
Both men were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Authorities are investigating whether a knife or screwdriver was used in the attacks.
A witness described seeing a knife sticking out of one of the victims following the stabbing.
“I just saw him sitting on his knees not moving at all, with this knife sticking out. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. The men who worked in the building are amazing and they just ran to get help,” the witness told Fox 5 New York.
Another woman, who said she was friends with one of the victims, said she was inside a synagogue when she heard that someone had been stabbed. When she reached the scene, the victim was already being taken to the hospital.
“I spoke to direct eyewitnesses who said that this man had yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ and had taken a screwdriver and stabbed him directly in the chest … then the guy walked away and kind of pretended he was not culpable and said ‘maybe someone should call 911, it looks like someone’s hurt on the street,'” Nava Silton told the outlet.
Silton said she later visited the victim in the hospital and described him as brave and courageous.
“It is incredibly scary and he’s just praying the condition doesn’t get worse. He had to pull the screwdriver out of his body,” she said.
Initial NYPD findings suggest mental health may have been a factor.
“While the perpetrator has no known mental health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Officials across the state denounced the attack, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city,” Mamdani said.
Hochul said she was “disgusted by what appears to be another senseless attack on New Yorkers simply because they’re Jewish.”
Anyone who tries to tear that apart will be met with the full force of the law. New York will stand with our Jewish community today, tomorrow, and always,” she said.