NYPD investigating hate knife crimes in NYC as anti-Semitism rises
New York faces a surge in anti-Semitic hate crimes as the NYPD investigates two stabbings near Central Park. Former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker highlights “disproportionate” threats against the Jewish community. The Secret Service is also reporting an “unprecedented” 40% increase in overall threats since January, heightening security concerns for public officials.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Brooklyn woman allegedly attacked two men in Midtown Manhattan before asking a third if he was Jewish and walking away when he said he was Muslim, according to a criminal complaint.
Anna Mochalova, 32, was arrested Saturday evening, police confirmed to Fox News Digital. She now faces hate crime charges for the attacks, which occurred five minutes apart, according to the complaint, and left one man hospitalized and another with a cut on his forearm.
The Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol thanked its volunteers, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, the Crown Heights and Queens Shomrim groups and tips from the public for helping secure the arrest.
MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT AND HATE CRIMES AFTER DISRUPTING SHABBAT SERVICES AT NYC SYNAGOGUE
Surveillance video captures the area outside Diamond District storefronts during the encounter involving a rabbi who was stabbed Oct. 21, police said. (Manhattan Shomrim Security Patrol)
“The suspect wanted in Wednesday’s two hate crime attacks in Midtown Manhattan is now in custody,” the group wrote on X.
The arrest followed a public appeal by Manhattan Shomrim seeking witnesses and security camera, dashcam or cell phone video from the Diamond District.
BRONX MAN ACCUSED OF ATTACKING SHABBATH WORSHIPERS ADMITTED MOTIVE IN RECORDED INTERVIEW, FED SAYS
A surveillance image shared by Manhattan Shomrim shows the suspect in the Oct. 21 attack on a rabbi in Manhattan’s Diamond District. (Manhattan Shomrim Security Patrol)
The criminal complaint, provided to Fox News Digital by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, places the first attack outside 15 W. 47th St. around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday.
A man dressed in traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing told investigators that a woman approached him and began following him, continuing to cross the street when he tried to run away.
Pinned against a vehicle, he felt a sharp tingling sensation in his lower back, according to the complaint. He suffered a cut, bleeding and significant pain.
Police said the 26-year-old man was transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
NY ASSEMBLYMAN CALLS ON DOJ TO INVESTIGATE MAMDANI, PROTECT NEW YORK JEWS AFTER STABBING ATTACKS
Manhattan Shomrim shared an arrest announcement after Anna Mochalova was taken into custody in connection with two assaults in Midtown. (Manhattan Shomrim Security Patrol)
About five minutes later, a man wearing a yarmulke was waiting to cross at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street when someone pushed him from behind several times. He then felt a painful pain in his right forearm, according to the complaint.
The man turned around and saw a woman matching the description of the first victim. He told investigators she threatened him in Russian, warning him she had a gun and would shoot him if he didn’t leave.
ANTI-SEMITE VIOLENCE WORSENS AS DEADLY WEAPONS ATTACKS INCREASE IN 2025: REPORT
She allegedly reached inside her jacket, making him believe she had a gun.
Police said the 37-year-old man suffered a cut to his forearm and refused medical treatment at the scene.
He also told investigators he saw the woman approach another man nearby and ask him in English if he was Jewish. When the man said he was Muslim, she apologized and walked away, according to the complaint.
The complaint’s timeline places the attacks five minutes apart. The NYPD’s initial statement listed police response times as two hours apart.
Woman allegedly strangled subway passenger, shouted anti-Semitic remarks in attack caught on video: POLICE
A Hate Crimes Task Force detective reviewed surveillance video from West 47th Street and created a still image of the suspect. Another NYPD officer recognized Mochalova based on previous interactions with her, according to the complaint.
Mochalova was arraigned on two counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of second-degree menacing as a hate crime, and two counts each of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree aggravated harassment, the prosecutor’s office confirmed.
The judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 surety, half the amounts prosecutors requested. His next court appearance will be on October 29.
His lawyer, Lila Carpenter of Legal Aid, questioned whether police identified the right person during Sunday’s arraignment, the New York Post reported.
“These allegations are concerning. Whether they belong to my client is another story,” Carpenter told the court, according to the outlet.
The Post identified the 26-year-old victim as a rabbi and reported that the attacker used a syringe. Neither the police statement to Fox News Digital nor the complaint identified the sharp object as a syringe.
The rabbi told the Post he thought his appearance made him a target. Despite the attack, he returned to the area the next day to continue his outreach to Jews, crediting his grandparents, who survived the Holocaust, for inspiring him.
MAMDANI COMMITS MILLIONS TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM WHILE LEFT KEY ISSUE UNRESOLVED
Advocacy group StopAntisemitism also condemned the reported attack.
“What happened to New York, once a safe haven for Jews?” the group wrote about X.
These attacks come as confirmed hate crimes in New York City increased by nearly 13% in the first nine months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD figures.
Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for more than half of the city’s 463 confirmed hate crimes. Police recorded 245 anti-Jewish hate crimes through September, compared to 242 during the same period in 2025.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The NYPD confirmed its Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating both incidents.
Gn usa
