Merchants and residents expressed concern after authorities said two visibly Jewish men were targeted minutes apart on a busy Midtown block.
NEW YORK — Two alleged attacks on visibly Jewish men minutes apart in Manhattan’s Diamond District have unsettled merchants and residents in an area closely identified with the city’s Jewish community, as a Brooklyn woman faces several charges carrying hate-crime allegations.
The concern follows the Oct. 21 encounters along and near West 47th Street, a Midtown corridor lined with jewelry businesses and frequented by Jewish merchants, employees and customers. Prosecutors allege Anna Mochalova, 32, targeted two men because she believed they were Jewish. She was arraigned Sunday after being arrested in connection with the incidents.
Authorities said one of the men, a 26-year-old wearing traditional Hasidic clothing, was followed and harassed at about 5:50 p.m. before feeling what he described as a stabbing sensation. He later realized he was bleeding. Investigators said the object was believed to be a needle or syringe, although reports about the criminal complaint described it more generally as a sharp object. The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where his injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Prosecutors said a second encounter happened about five minutes later. Mochalova allegedly approached another visibly Jewish man and made repeated contact with him, causing a stinging sensation or injury to his arm. Authorities also allege she threatened to shoot him if he did not leave the area.
Investigators have pointed to a third encounter as part of their examination of an alleged religious motive. Police said Mochalova approached another man and asked whether he was Jewish. When he said he was Muslim, authorities said, she apologized and left him alone. Prosecutors allege the first two men were selected because Mochalova believed they were Jewish.
The events drew particular attention because they occurred in daylight in one of Midtown Manhattan’s busiest commercial areas. Surveillance footage obtained by news organizations appeared to show a woman following and crowding one of the victims along the sidewalk before he moved away. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force joined the investigation as police sought to identify and locate the woman.
After the arrest, people who work in the Diamond District described lingering unease. One business owner told CBS New York the same thing could have happened to him. Another person interviewed in the neighborhood said people were on edge because of the large number of Jewish people who work and spend time on the block.
The case comes amid broader concern over antisemitic incidents in New York City. NYPD figures reported by multiple news organizations show that anti-Jewish offenses accounted for more than half of the city’s confirmed hate crimes through the first nine months of 2026. Those statistics provide context for the community response but do not establish the allegations in Mochalova’s case, which remain subject to the court process.
Mochalova faces two counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of second-degree menacing as a hate crime, two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of second-degree aggravated harassment, according to the criminal complaint. Her attorney has questioned whether authorities correctly identified her as the person involved.
A judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond. Mochalova is scheduled to return to court Oct. 29. The charges remain allegations, and no determination of guilt has been made.
Author note: Last updated October 26, 2026.