On July 23, 2026, two men were stabbed in separate unprovoked attacks within blocks of each other on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. One victim was a Jewish man on his way to or from synagogue on Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning and fasting. The other was an Asian man. Both are expected to survive. The suspect is in custody, and the NYPD is investigating whether the attacks constitute hate crimes.

A Shomrim volunteer who arrived at the scene described the Jewish victim as "a respected person in the neighborhood, minding his own business, just going to pray," according to CNN. Witnesses reported the attacker yelled a religious phrase during both attacks. The initial investigation also suggests mental health may have been a factor.

Jewish and Asian New Yorkers have faced rising rates of hate-motivated violence in recent years. When someone in a mental health crisis also acts on hate, communities bear the cost. New York City needs both: full prosecution under hate crime statutes where the evidence supports it, and a more robust system of mobile mental health crisis intervention that connects people to care before violence occurs.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Manhattan District Attorney must commit to a full and transparent investigation, pursue hate crime charges if the evidence supports them, and expand mobile mental health crisis response across all five boroughs.

Sign to demand that New York City prosecute hate violence and build the mental health infrastructure that keeps every community safe.