Suspect arrested after 2 men stabbed near Central Park on Upper West Side
A 51-year-old suspect, Raul Morales, was arrested following two separate stabbing attacks on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Police are investigating the incidents as potential hate crimes after witnesses reported the suspect shouting religious slogans.
Why it matters
The incident highlights rising concerns over public safety and hate-motivated violence in urban centers.
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A suspect was arrested after two men were stabbed near Central Park on the Upper West Side on Thursday afternoon, an attack police are now looking into as a potential hate crime.
The stabbings began at West 84th Street and Central Park West where a 57-year-old Asian man was stabbed in the torso around 1:30 p.m.
The second stabbing, of a 50-year-old Jewish man, occurred at 86th and Amsterdam near a church and a synagogue.
Thursday was an annual day of mourning for people of the Jewish faith, and this became yet another tragedy to mourn.
"On this very, very solemn day to have somebody who is a contemporary of mine in a synagogue I've been going to for many, many years - it's very scary. It's hard to process," said synagogue member Susan Canter.
Both victims were taken to Mt. Sinai-St. Luke's Hospital.
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