Two men were stabbed near Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Thursday, and police arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The attacks occurred at about 1:31 p.m., about two blocks apart, with the first at 84th Street and Central Park West and the second at 86th Street and Central Park West, the NYPD said.
The victims are adult men — one Asian and one Jewish — and both were transported to Mount Sinai-St. Luke's Hospital, where they were stable and expected to survive, the NYPD said.
“Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive, but according to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ during both attacks,” Tisch said. “The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime.”
Tisch said Morales does not have a known mental health history with police, but “the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor.”
A bystander led police to where Morales was hiding, Tisch said, and she described that person as a good Samaritan; she also said there was no evidence Wednesday that either victim knew each other or Morales.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had been briefed, that he was grateful the victims were stable, and he thanked police, adding, “These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the attack and said, “The strength of New York has always been our ability to live together across every faith and background.”