Story perspectives

NYPD Arrests Suspect in Upper West Side Hate-Crime Stabbings

7/24/2026

Summary

Story summary

NYPD arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales on July 23, 2026 for two stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
The attacks occurred near West 84th Street/Central Park West and again near West 86th Street/Amsterdam Avenue at about 1:30 p.m.
A 57-year-old Asian man and a 50-year-old Jewish man wearing a yarmulke were each stabbed and taken to Mount Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital in stable condition.
Witnesses reported Morales shouted “Allahu Akbar,” prompting Commissioner Jessica Tisch to order a review of possible hate-crime and mental-health motives.

History

Historical Context

The 1991 Crown Heights riot, sparked by a car crash that killed a Caribbean boy and injured a Jewish child, left two dead, about 190 injured and $1 million in damage, prompting Mayor David Dinkins to mobilize thousands of officers. That episode of unchecked Black-Jewish tension informs today’s July 23 2026 West Side stabbing and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s hate-crime review.

1 of 2

Story summary

NYPD arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales on July 23, 2026 for two stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
The attacks occurred near West 84th Street/Central Park West and again near West 86th Street/Amsterdam Avenue at about 1:30 p.m.
A 57-year-old Asian man and a 50-year-old Jewish man wearing a yarmulke were each stabbed and taken to Mount Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital in stable condition.
Witnesses reported Morales shouted “Allahu Akbar,” prompting Commissioner Jessica Tisch to order a review of possible hate-crime and mental-health motives.

1 / 2