Raul Morales, 51, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder as a hate crime Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court for the July 23 attacks that injured two men on the Upper West Side. Prosecutors stated that evidence uncovered since Morales' arrest indicates he holds antisemitic views.
"A search warrant on the defendant’s phone revealed text messages containing antisemitic statements," Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Megan Joy told the court. Morales allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing a 57-year-old Asian man in the back with a knife on West 84th Street and Central Park West. The first victim was hospitalized with the knife lodged in his spine, requiring specialized surgery for its removal.
Momentarily later, Morales allegedly stabbed Moshe Yezhak Grunhaus, 50, a Jewish man wearing a kippah, in the back with a screwdriver as he exited a nearby synagogue. Grunhaus suffered a collapsed lung, and both victims have experienced breathing difficulties since the attacks, according to prosecutors.
Morales fled to his nearby NYCHA apartment, where a bystander alerted police. After a 50-minute standoff, he surrendered to officers. He is being held without bail.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that Morales was allegedly motivated by antisemitism. "This case is a prime example of how hate crimes make all of us less safe," Bragg said in a statement. The stabbings occurred amid a reported rise in antisemitic incidents in New York City.