A visibly Jewish man was one of the two victims seriously wounded in an unprovoked stabbing spree on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, media reports said.
According to the New York Post, citing law enforcement sources, the attacker first assaulted a 57-year-old Asian man near West 84th Street and Central Park West, stabbing him with a knife at around 1:30 p.m.
A short time later, a 50-year-old Jewish man wearing a kippah was stabbed with a screwdriver as he left the Jewish Center, a Modern Orthodox synagogue located at West 86th Street and Central Park West.
At around 2:45 p.m., the 51-year-old suspect was arrested by police after barricading himself in an apartment on Amsterdam Avenue near West 88th Street.
Police were investigating reported witness claims the suspect shouted “Allahu akbar” (Arabic for “God is greatest”) during the rampage.
Both victims were transported to Saint Luke’s Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
The incident occurred as Jews across the globe marked Tisha B’Av, a fasting day mourning tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over history, including the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin posted on X, “While we await additional details to be confirmed, we know that what is happening in our city is abhorrent. The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, regardless of their faith or identity.”
I am absolutely sickened and furious by what appears to be an antisemitic stabbing on the Upper West Side.
While we await additional details to be confirmed, we know that what is happening in our city is abhorrent. The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker…
— Speaker Julie Menin (@SpeakerMenin) July 23, 2026
On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew widespread Jewish communal condemnation for a video message in which re-amplified libelous war crimes claims against Israel and condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people” who was “not welcome in New York City.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are confirmed.
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