Two men were hospitalized Thursday afternoon following separate stabbing incidents on Manhattan's Upper West Side, an area with a significant Jewish population. City officials described the violence as an "antisemitic stabbing," and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has taken a suspect into custody.
The incidents occurred near West 84th Street and Central Park West. The first victim, a 57-year-old man, was found with a stab wound to his back shortly after 1:30 p.m. He was conscious and alert and transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
Investigators later located a second man, 50 years old, nearby with a stab wound to his torso. He was also conscious and alert and taken to a hospital, also in stable condition. The NYPD has not yet officially identified a motive or confirmed if the attacks will be investigated as hate crimes.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin expressed outrage over the apparent nature of the attacks. "I am absolutely sickened and furious by what appears to be an antisemitic stabbing on the Upper West Side," Menin wrote on social media platform X. She emphasized that "the fear in the Jewish community is real" and that "every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, regardless of their faith or identity."
Assembly member Micah Lasher, a Jewish representative for the area, stated he is in communication with law enforcement and community leaders. "The NYPD responded immediately and has apprehended a suspect," Lasher said. "I am praying for the survival and recovery of the victims and will provide more information as I have it."
Reports indicate that police are examining whether a knife or a screwdriver was used as the weapon in the alleged assaults. Magen Am, a Jewish-run nonprofit focused on community security, has stated that synagogues and Jewish spaces are on high alert amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has heightened concerns about potential threats. Menin thanked the NYPD for its "swift response in apprehending the assailant."