NEW YORK, July 24 (Our New York News) — New York police took Raul Morales, 51, into custody Thursday after two men were stabbed on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and investigators were evaluating the case as a possible hate crime, officials said.
Police said the first attack was reported shortly after 1:30 p.m. near Central Park West and West 84th Street. A second man was found nearby and also stabbed, according to law enforcement.
Both victims were taken to Mount Sinai West and were described by police as stable. One report based on police information said one victim was in critical condition, but the accounts reviewed did not identify which man that referred to.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had been briefed and that the NYPD “responded immediately and arrested Raul Morales in connection with both assaults.” He also said witnesses and victims told police the attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar” during both assaults.
Police had not announced charges in the information reviewed, and the motive remained under investigation.
