NYPD investigates NYC hate crime stabbings as antisemitism surges
New York City is facing a reported rise in antisemitic hate crimes as the NYPD investigates two stabbings near Central Park. Former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker described the threats against the Jewish community as “disproportionately high.” The U.S. Secret Service has also reported an “unprecedented” 40% increase in threats overall since January, intensifying security concerns for public officials.
A Brooklyn woman accused of stalking a rabbi before stabbing him with a syringe in Manhattan’s Diamond District allegedly assaulted another man roughly two hours earlier, according to police.
Anna Mochalova, 32, was arrested Saturday evening. Police told News Media that she faces eight counts each of assault and menacing, as well as two counts each of aggravated harassment and criminal possession of a weapon.
Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol said its volunteers, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, Shomrim organizations in Crown Heights and Queens, and tips from members of the public all contributed to the arrest.
Surveillance footage shows the area outside Diamond District businesses during the encounter involving a rabbi who was stabbed Oct. 21, police said. (Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol)
“The suspect wanted for Wednesday’s two hate crime assaults in Midtown Manhattan is now in custody,” the group said in a post on X.
The arrest came after Manhattan Shomrim asked the public for witnesses and requested security-camera, dashcam and cellphone footage from the Diamond District.
A surveillance image released by Manhattan Shomrim appears to show the suspect in the Oct. 21 attack on a rabbi in Manhattan’s Diamond District. (Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol)
Police said the first assault occurred at approximately 5:50 p.m. Wednesday near West 45th Street and Avenue of the Americas.
A 37-year-old man told officers that someone intentionally bumped into him. After he confronted the person, the suspect struck him in the forearm with a sharp object, leaving him with a laceration, police said.
Manhattan Shomrim posted an announcement after Anna Mochalova was arrested in connection with two Midtown assaults. (Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol)
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The attacker ran from the scene. The victim declined medical treatment, authorities said.
Approximately two hours later, officers responded to a reported stabbing outside 15 West 47th Street. Police said a 26-year-old man was approached and stabbed in the back with an unidentified sharp object.
The victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
The New York Post identified the second victim as a rabbi and reported that the weapon was a syringe. In its statement to News Media, police did not say whether a syringe was used or indicate what it might have contained.
Video released by Manhattan Shomrim appears to show the suspected attacker following the rabbi around a parked car as he tried to evade her before the stabbing, according to the Post.
The rabbi told the outlet that he believes he was targeted because of his appearance.
“I never met that person before,” he said. “She passes by other people. I’m visibly Jewish.”
The rabbi returned to the area the following day to continue his Jewish outreach despite the attack, the Post reported. He said his grandparents, who survived the Holocaust, inspired him to go back.
“They went on to build a Jewish home after the Holocaust,” he told the outlet. “If they could survive, I must go back to spread the light.”
Advocacy group StopAntisemitism also condemned the reported attack.
“What has happened to NYC, a once safe haven for Jews?” the group wrote on X.
The attacks come as confirmed hate crimes across New York City rose nearly 13% during the first nine months of 2026 compared with 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, up from 242 during the same period in 2025.
The NYPD confirmed its Hate Crime Task Force is investigating both incidents.