Jewish Man Stabbed in Midtown Attack; Police Investigate as Hate Crime
A woman allegedly stalked and stabbed a Jewish man with a syringe-like object on a busy Manhattan street, prompting a hate crime investigation.
A 26-year-old Jewish man wearing traditional attire was reportedly stalked and then stabbed on a busy Midtown street on Wednesday evening, with police sources indicating the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
The victim was walking on Fifth Avenue near West 47th Street in the Diamond District shortly before 6 p.m. when a woman speaking Russian began following him, according to police sources cited by the New York Post.
Surveillance video shared by the Manhattan Shomrim group on X shows the woman closely pursuing the victim around a parked car as he attempted to evade her, while numerous pedestrians passed by.
The victim reported feeling a sharp, needle-like prick to his lower right back as he approached a nearby grocery store. He told police he believed he was stabbed with a syringe, though it remains unclear if the object contained any substance.
He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where his condition was reported as stable. The New York Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.
Moshe Spern, president of the United Jewish Teachers, criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani regarding the attack, stating on X, "Another Jew stabbed in broad daylight in Midtown."
The incident occurs amidst an increase in hate crimes in New York City. The NYPD reported a nearly 13% rise in hate crimes during the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in the previous year, with anti-Jewish incidents constituting over half of these crimes. In July, a separate incident involved a man who stabbed a Jewish and an Asian man on the Upper West Side while reportedly making hateful remarks, according to authorities. A phone search of that suspect revealed text messages containing antisemitic statements.