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Man accused of stabbing 2 on Upper West Side charged with hate crimes, police say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Jul 24, 2026
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By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Jul 24, 2026
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The man accused of stabbing two people on the Upper West Side on Thursday is charged with multiple hate crimes, police said on Friday.
Raul Morales, 51, was arrested Thursday after the stabbings, which took place several blocks apart, according to police. Officials said Morales apparently yelled “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing an Asian man with a knife and a Jewish man with a screwdriver. Police said Friday Morales is charged with attempted murder and assault as a hate crime, along with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Police previously said they caught Morales at an apartment on the 11th floor of a NYCHA building on Amsterdam Avenue and West 88th Street. Multiple residents of the building — including the man who Morales was staying with — said they were shocked by the allegations.
Neighbor Carlos Ramos said he’d frequently see Morales standing outside the building, especially during the summer. He said Morales would nod his head and say hi, even once to Ramos’ dog. Ramos said he was never violent or hateful, including to diverse groups of people who walked past the building.
“I was shocked when I see that thing happened. Maybe he just lost it,” Ramos said. “He was a lonely person all the time.”
Around midday Friday, a group of police officers arrived to search the apartment where Morales and his roommate stayed.
Several Jewish elected officials spoke out against the attacks on Friday, indirectly blaming Mayor Zohran Mamdani for fueling antisemitism through his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mamdani has described the attacks as “hateful and despicable” and said they have no place in the city.
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public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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