On Tisha B'Av, July 23, 2026, Moshe Grunhaus, 50, was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver near a shul on the Upper West Side. He was wearing a kippah. About 12 minutes earlier, the same man allegedly stabbed a 57-year-old Asian man in the back nearby. Both survived. Yeshiva World News reported the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar."
In the first hours, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said mental health may have been a factor.
The indictment
On September 8, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's office arraigned Raul Morales, 51, on an indictment in which every count is charged as a hate crime: four counts of attempted murder in the second degree, plus first- and second-degree assault counts. A grand jury voted it July 30; it stayed sealed until arraignment.
Prosecutors say text messages recovered by search warrant show antisemitic views. Morales has been held without bail since July 24. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division opened its own review.
Matzav reported that Grunhaus had been preparing to move to Florida.
What we are checking
We could not find the next court date or the assigned judge. Kol America will follow the case.
How we reported this: from Yeshiva World News, Matzav, VIN, the Manhattan DA's September 8 release and West Side Rag. Outlets differ slightly on street locations and the second victim's age. Tips: [email protected].