NYC Hate Crime Case: Woman Allegedly Walked Away After Man Said He Was Muslim, Court Documents Say

A woman accused of attacking two Jewish men in Manhattan allegedly questioned another man about his religion before walking away when he said he was Muslim, according to a criminal complaint. The allegation is part of an NYC hate crime case arising from incidents on 21 October in Midtown Manhattan.

Prosecutors have charged Anna Mochalova, 32, with assault as a hate crime and other offences. Both complainants reported bleeding wounds after encounters on nearby streets. Mochalova's lawyer has questioned whether police identified the correct suspect.

The reported encounter with the Muslim man was described by the second alleged victim, not by the passer-by himself. He told investigators that he saw a woman ask another man whether he was Jewish.

According to the complaint, the woman walked away after the man replied that he was Muslim. The timing of that exchange relative to the second alleged assault remains unclear.

NYC Hate Crime Complaint Details Alleged Attacks on Two Men

The first incident was reported near West 47th Street and Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan's Diamond District. The complainant, wearing traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing, said a woman followed him across the street and cornered him against a parked car.

She was speaking 'in a foreign language', he told investigators. He then felt a sharp sting in his lower back and discovered a bleeding cut, according to the complaint.

The complainant was identified in local reporting as a 26-year-old rabbi. Emergency responders took him to hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.

Surveillance footage published by a local broadcaster appeared to show a woman following a man along the street. The footage does not independently establish her identity.

The second complainant was waiting to cross near West 45th Street and Sixth Avenue. According to the criminal complaint, the incident occurred about five minutes after the first. He said a woman pushed him from behind before he felt a sharp pain in his forearm and noticed that he was bleeding.

The man, who speaks Russian, recalled a threat containing words substantially resembling 'Run away from here. I have a gun, I am going to shoot you.' He interpreted a gesture towards the woman's jacket as a reference to a firearm. The complaint does not establish that she possessed a gun.

Lawyer Challenges Identification of Anna Mochalova

Mochalova was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Sunday, 25 October. She faces charges including two counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime, alongside menacing, weapons possession and aggravated harassment offences.

Prosecutors allege that the two men were targeted because they were Jewish. According to prosecutors, an NYPD transit officer identified Mochalova from surveillance images based on previous interactions.

Her lawyer, Lila Carpenter of the Legal Aid Society, questioned that identification during Sunday's proceedings. The allegations against Mochalova have not been proved in court.

A judge set bail at $50,000 (£37,517) cash or a $150,000 (£112,456) bond, according to state court records cited in reports of the hearing. Mochalova's next appearance was scheduled for Thursday, 29 October.

Some reports described a syringe as the suspected weapon. However, the available account of the criminal complaint does not identify a particular object or establish that either man was injected with anything.

NYPD Data Show Wider Rise in Confirmed Hate Crimes

The case follows an increase in confirmed hate crimes recorded by the New York Police Department. According to official NYPD statistics, the city recorded 463 incidents between January and September 2026. That compares with 410 during the same period in 2025, representing an increase of 12.9%.

Anti-Jewish offences accounted for 245 incidents, or 52.9% of the total. The category increased by 1.2% compared with the same nine-month period last year.

The shorter-term figures present a different picture. Confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes declined from 68 to 59 in the third quarter of 2026.

However, confirmed hate crimes across all categories increased from 111 to 125 during those three months. The figures are preliminary and predate the alleged October attacks.

Other Manhattan incidents have also prompted hate crime prosecutions in recent months. In August, a man faced federal charges after allegedly disrupting a synagogue service and attacking a woman. He pleaded not guilty.

Another defendant pleaded not guilty following separate July stabbings involving two men on the Upper West Side.

Mochalova is scheduled to return to court on 29 October. Her lawyer's challenge to the police identification remains unresolved, while prosecutors maintain that the two alleged attacks were motivated by the victims' Jewish identity.

The precise object responsible for the reported injuries has not been established in the available accounts. The encounter involving the man who said he was Muslim also remains a witness allegation contained in the criminal complaint.