Two men stabbed in unprovoked attack in broad daylight on New York City streets, police say

By Mark Morales, Lila Dominus, CNN

(CNN) — Two men were stabbed Thursday afternoon in broad daylight in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, according to police, who are evaluating whether the attacks were potential hate crimes.

One victim was an Asian man and the other was a Jewish man, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, and witness and victim statements report the attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar” during both attacks. The initial investigation suggests mental health may have been a factor in the stabbings, she said.

The suspect, identified as 51-year-old Raul Morales, is in custody as an investigation into a possible motive is ongoing, police said. CNN is working to determine more about the stabbing.

Both victims — ages 57 and 50 — were stabbed “throughout” their bodies, according to the NYPD. The attack was unprovoked, two law enforcement sources said.

“At this time there is no known link between Morales and either of the victims, nor between the victims and each other,” Tisch said.

Police received a 911 call just after 1:30 pm and found the first victim conscious and alert with a stab wound to his back, according to a law enforcement official.

The other victim was stabbed in the chest, according to a source. One stabbing took place at West 84th Street and Central Park West, and the other happened just blocks away near West 86th Street and Central Park West. They were transferred to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition and are expected to survive.

Marianna Ellenberg, a witness, said she saw “a man kneeling on the street with a knife just sticking out of his back, like a movie.”

“I’ve been robbed myself, but to actually see just the knife sticking out, it’s just like that kind of cruel violence at 2 p.m. (in) the afternoon in bright sunlight,” she added. “It just kind of reminds you this idea of your safety zone, like nothing is safe.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s John Miller contributed to this report.