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Woman charged with federal hate crimes after allegedly stabbing 2 Jewish men in NYC
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 4:27 p.m. ET
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By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 4:27 p.m. ET
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A Russian woman is facing federal hate crime charges following the alleged stabbing of two Jewish men near Manhattan’s Diamond District earlier this month.
Federal prosecutors identified the woman as Anna Mochalova, a 32-year-old Russian national, and accused her of stabbing the men “with a sharp object that is consistent with being a needle.”
Mochalova allegedly stabbed the first victim around 5:50 p.m. on Oct. 21 while the man had been walking along West 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors described the first man as having a beard and wearing clothes associated with the Orthodox Jewish community, including a black hat and tzitzit, the strings attached to the corners of a prayer shawl.
Prosecutors say Mochalova then approached another victim — also a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke — on the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, just two blocks away from the first stabbing. She bumped into the man several times before stabbing him in the right forearm, prosecutors said.
Another person who was present at the scene during the second stabbing said Mochalova asked him if he was Jewish, and then apologized when he said he was not, according to prosecutors. She is is facing two hate crime charges, which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
"Mochalova allegedly stabbed two men specifically because they were Jewish, an attack made all the more terrifying because the specific weapon used — and its potential contents — remain unknown pending further investigation," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald said in a statement.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mochalova’s actions struck fear “in an entire community.”
“A hate crime is a message written in violence, and this defendant’s message was loud and clear,” she said in a statement.
Attorney information for the accused was not made immediately available.
Tagged
manhattan
new york city
public safety
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
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