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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of RAUL MORALES, 51, for allegedly stabbing two men in an antisemitic attack on the Upper West Side on July 23, 2026. MORALES is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with various counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, Assault in the First Degree as a Hate Crime, Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime and Attempted Assault in the First Degree as a Hate Crime. [1]

“Raul Morales was allegedly motivated by antisemitism when he attacked two New Yorkers in broad daylight near two Upper West Side synagogues,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Since the initial arrest, my Office has continued to thoroughly investigate this matter and uncovered additional evidence alleging the defendant specifically harbors antisemitic views. This case is a prime example of how hate crimes make all of us less safe. I want to make clear to all Manhattanites that we will stand with and support you no matter your background, ethnicity or religion.”

“As alleged, Raul Morales violently assaulted two innocent New Yorkers for no other reason than his belief they were Jewish,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “The members of the NYPD responded quickly, identified the suspect, and took him into custody that same afternoon. That is what the NYPD has done, and will continue to do, in response to antisemitic hate crimes and hate crimes of any kind: respond immediately, conduct a thorough investigation, and pursue complete accountability under the law. I thank the members of the NYPD who pursued this case aggressively, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for their efforts on this case.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record in court, on July 23, 2026, at approximately 1:31 p.m., a 57-year-old Asian-American man, who was wearing a baseball cap, was walking westbound on West 84th Street from Central Park West, in the vicinity of a synagogue near West 83rd Street and Central Park West. As he was walking, MORALES allegedly approached him from behind and stabbed him, unprovoked, in the back with a knife. MORALES allegedly yelled, “Allahu Akbar” during the attack before fleeing, heading down the block. While walking past the synagogue on West 83rd Street and Central Park West, MORALES allegedly yelled, in substance, “Justice for Islam.”

At approximately 1:43 p.m., MORALES allegedly approached a 50-year-old Jewish man, who was wearing a kippah, in the vicinity of a second synagogue near West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, and stabbed him, unprovoked, in the chest with a screwdriver. A witness to the aftermath of the attack, followed MORALES as he fled to his apartment building, near West 89th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, and heard him allegedly yell “Allahu Akbar.”

The victims were each transported to a hospital to be treated for their injuries. The first victim arrived at the hospital with the knife still lodged in his back, which required surgery to remove. The second man had a puncture wound to his chest.

Police officers responded to several 911 calls and tracked MORALES to his apartment. He initially refused to come out but eventually surrendered. While inside the apartment, MORALES allegedly changed his clothing. A screwdriver was also recovered from the scene of the second stabbing.

Throughout the investigation, the Office has uncovered additional evidence illustrating alleged antisemitic bias. Specifically, pursuant to search warrants, text messages containing antisemitic sentiments were recovered from MORALES’ phone.

Assistant D.A.s Megan Joy (Trial Bureau 60) and Elizabeth Barry (Trial Bureau 60) are handling the prosecution of this case, under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Constantine Coritsidis (Deputy Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit) and Hannah Yu (Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit), and Executive D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division).  Hate Crimes Investigative Analysts Julie Anne Lim, Caleb Brown, Anoushka Aurora, Annabel Wheeler, and Fatima Ahmad are providing assistance in the case.

D.A. Bragg thanked the New York City Police Department (NYPD), particularly Detective Steven Smith (20th Precinct Detective Squad), Detective Isaac Moultry (24th Precinct Detective Squad) and Sergeant Osvaldo Hernandez (20th Precinct Detective Squad).

Defendant Information:

RAUL MORALES

New York, NY

Charged:

• Attempted Murder in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, a class B felony, four counts
• Assault in the First Degree as a Hate Crime, a class B felony, two counts
• Attempted Assault in the First Degree as a Hate Crime, a class C felony, two counts
• Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, a class C felony, two counts

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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.