An armed assailant screaming “Allahu Akbar” wounded two strangers, one a Jewish man, in a wild stabbing spree on Manhattan’s Upper West Side before cops arrested him at a nearby building Thursday, police said.
Cops were trying to determine why the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Raul Morales, targeted his two victims and if the dual attacks were motivated by hate. Charges against Morales were pending Thursday evening.
“The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on X. “While the perpetrator has no known mental health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor.”
The violence began when Morales stabbed a 57-year-old man in the back at W. 84th St. and Central Park West around 1:31 p.m., according to law enforcement.
A local building worker showed the Daily News an image of the victim, an Asian man, with a knife jutting from his back.
“He was on the corner of W. 84th St., bleeding,” said the worker, who asked that his name be withheld. “He was squatting with the knife sticking out of his back. Crazy man, crazy.”
Marrianna Ellenberg was taking her 91-year-old father to see a doctor when she looked out her car window to witness the attack, which she said was “like a movie.”
“I’ve lived in worse neighborhoods,” said Ellenberg. “I’ve been robbed myself, but to actually see the knife sticking out, that kind of cruel violence at 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. It just kind of reminds you, this idea of your safety zone, like, nothing is safe.”
“My elderly parents live here now,” she added. “It just doesn’t make you feel great.”
Morales ran off and reappeared minutes later around the corner from The Jewish Center, a prominent Upper West Side synagogue on W. 86th St. and Amsterdam Ave., where he stabbed his second victim, a 50-year-old Jewish man, in the stomach with a screwdriver.
The victim, identified by police sources and relatives as Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus, had just attended Tisha B’Av services and was exiting The Jewish Center from a rear entrance when Morales jumped him, a police source said.
Juan Garcia, a local restaurant worker, watched as the stabber attacked the second victim.
“He was a Jewish guy with a yarmulke,” Garcia, 26, said. “He was on his knees. He was bleeding from the right side. The screwdriver was on the floor.”
Both victims were taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital where they’re expected to survive.
“According to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled “Allahu Akbar” during both attacks,” Tisch said.
Allahu Akbar means “God is Most Great” in Arabic.
Grunhaus lives a short walk from The Jewish Center. No one was at his home Thursday night.
“I’m just in shock,” Grunhaus’ relative, Avi Grunhaus, who lives in Maryland, told the Daily News. “I got in my car, and I should be in the city in a few hours.”
Cops alerted to the attacks were flagged down by a good Samaritan who spotted Morales entering a NYCHA apartment building on Amsterdam Ave. near W. 89th St. Cops arrested Morales inside the building, where he lived on the 11th floor, according to police sources.
Witnesses told The News a UPS delivery worker was the good Samaritan who tailed Morales and alerted police.
“I want to commend the bravery of a good Samaritan who led our officers to the location where the perpetrator was hiding, as well as our NYPD cops who brought an end to the incident without further injuries,” Tisch said.
“I am relieved that both victims are in stable condition,” Mayor Mamdani added on X. “The NYPD responded immediately and arrested Raul Morales in connection with both assaults—and I am grateful to the officers for their swift response.”
“The NYPD’s initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor,” the Mayor added. “They are also evaluating these stabbings as potential hate crimes. These hateful and despicable attacks have no place in our city.”
Morales’ roommate was seen speaking with police outside the apartment he shared with the suspect, complaining that he had to use the bathroom as police barred him from the unit.
“I can’t even get into my own apartment,” he said.
The suspect has been arrested seven times in New York City, including multiple busts for drug-related offenses, police sources said.
A man who identified himself as a liaison for The Jewish Center said, “This is a hate crime,” when asked for comment, citing the victim’s obvious Jewish heritage. He declined to elaborate further.
The stabbing outside The Jewish Center immediately stoked fears that the attack was antisemitic.
“I am absolutely sickened and furious by what appears to be an antisemitic stabbing on the Upper West Side,” City Council Speaker Julie Menin said Thursday. “While we await additional details to be confirmed, we know that what is happening in our city is abhorrent.”
“The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, regardless of their faith or identity,” she added. “We must remain united in condemning antisemitism and ensuring those responsible are held fully accountable.”
Governor Hochul joined the chorus of politicians claiming bigotry was at the root of the unprovoked attacks.
“Disgusted by what appears to be another senseless attack on New Yorkers simply because they’re Jewish,” the Governor tweeted.