Hasidic Man Stabbed in Manhattan; Police Investigate as Hate Crime

Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for 52.9% of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City.

By Shula Rosen

A Chabad Hasid was stabbed in the back by a woman in Manhattan’s Diamond District on Wednesday evening, prompting New York police to investigate whether the attack was an antisemitic hate crime.

The victim, a Crown Heights resident, was attacked at about 5:30 p.m. between Fifth and Sixth avenues after a woman approached him from behind and stabbed him with an object believed to be a needle or syringe.

Security camera footage captured the attack on the busy Manhattan street. The video shows the man attempting to move away from the woman before she stabbed him in the back.

The victim continued walking after the attack, while the suspect fled toward Sixth Avenue.

He was taken to a hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.

The precise object involved in the stabbing has not been determined. Authorities believe it may have been a needle or syringe.

The suspect was described as a woman in her 30s. She remained at large following the attack.

New York police opened an investigation into the incident and are examining whether the victim was targeted because of his Jewish identity. The motive for the attack has not been determined.

Antisemitic incidents have remained at high levels in New York City in 2026. Through Sept. 30, the NYPD confirmed 245 anti-Jewish hate crimes, up from 242 during the same period in 2025.

Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for 52.9% of all confirmed hate crimes in the city, despite Jews making up about 10% of its population.

Nationally, antisemitism also remains well above levels recorded before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents in 2025, five times the number a decade earlier, while physical assaults reached a record high.