NYPD Investigates Stabbing of Jewish Man as Potential Hate Crime
The New York City Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force and the Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol are investigating the Wednesday evening stabbing of a 26-year-old Jewish man in Midtown Manhattan as a potential hate crime. No arrests have been made in connection with the attack, which left the victim hospitalized in stable condition.
Stabbing Reported in the Diamond District
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, around 5:45 p.m., near West 47th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s Diamond District, according to the NYPD and the Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol. Officers responding to a 911 call located the victim, who had sustained a stab wound to the back from an unknown sharp object. The victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where the NYPD confirmed he was listed in stable condition. Eyewitness reports indicated that the assailant passed several other pedestrians before targeting the man, who was dressed in a visibly Jewish manner.
🚨 HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION: Manhattan Shomrim and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force are actively investigating a stabbing that occurred today around 5:45 PM at 47th St. and 5th Ave.We are asking for the public's assistance. If you were in the Diamond District/Midtown area… pic.twitter.com/EELGa2ViXO
Security footage released by the Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol shows an individual approaching the victim from behind, removing a hand from a bag, and jabbing the hand into the man’s back before he flees onto the sidewalk. The victim told investigators he believed he was stabbed with a needle or syringe. Reports from COLlive described the suspect as a white woman in her 30s, approximately 5-foot-9, wearing blue jeans and white sneakers with a dark sweater tied around her waist, who fled west toward Sixth Avenue following the attack.
Surge in Antisemitic Incidents Across New York City
The Wednesday assault marks at least the fourth suspected anti-Jewish stabbing in New York City in recent years. In July, an assailant stabbed two men on the Upper West Side, including one who was leaving a synagogue, while yelling “Allahu akbar,” and was charged with committing hate crimes.
According to police statistics cited by The Times of Israel, Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York City more than all other groups combined. Authorities have recorded at least 245 confirmed antisemitic hate crimes so far this year, accounting for 53 percent of all total hate crimes in the city. Jewish New Yorkers make up approximately 12 percent of the city’s overall population.
NYPD Seeks Witnesses and Footage from Diamond District
Investigators have not yet apprehended a suspect, and the inquiry led by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force remains active. The Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol has issued a public appeal for assistance, urging anyone who was in the Diamond District or Midtown area during the time of the incident to come forward. The organization requested that witnesses with storefront security cameras, dashcam recordings, or cellphone footage contact authorities immediately.
What has happened to NYC, a once safe haven for Jews? The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating an attack on an Orthodox Jewish man in Midtown (Diamond District) last night after he was followed and stabbed with a syringe by a women! pic.twitter.com/svGFxrHpAd
A Jewish man in traditional dress was followed through Manhattan's Diamond District by a Russian-speaking woman, then felt a sharp prick in his lower back. The 26-year-old believes he was stabbed with a syringe; police haven't determined if it contained anything. He's… pic.twitter.com/g6FhaxF9Ni