Suspect arrested in Midtown syringe stabbing attacks prosecuted as hate crime

A Brooklyn woman is under arrest after prosecutors said two men were stabbed with a syringe in Midtown, a case authorities are treating as a hate crime.

A criminal complaint identifies the suspect as Anna Mochalova, 32, of Brighton Beach. Prosecutors said Mochalova followed a man dressed in traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing in the Diamond District before allegedly cornering him and jabbing him with a needle.

Prosecutors also said Mochalova later followed a second man nearby and stabbed him with a needle.

According to the complaint, investigators believe Mochalova then asked — speaking in Russian — if the second man was Jewish. When he said he was Muslim, the complaint says she apologized and walked away.

Police said Mochalova was arrested and charged on Saturday by the Midtown North precinct.

Mochalova is charged with as second-degree assault as a hate crime, second-degree menacing as a hate crime, aggravated harassment, and criminal possession of a weapon.

The complaint says the first reported incident happened on Wednesday at about 5:50 PM outside 15 West 47th St.

The victim said he was cornered against a vehicle and felt “a sharp, stinging sensation” to his lower back. The complaint says he suffered a laceration, bleeding and substantial pain, and feared for his immediate physical safety, prosecutors wrote in the complaint.

A second reported incident happened at about 5:55 PM at the intersection of Sixth Ave. and West 45th St. The Manhattan DA’s office says that victim was wearing a yamaka and speaks Russian.

According to the complaint, that victim said he felt someone push into him from behind several times before feeling a painful stinging sensation in his right forearm. The complaint says he saw a woman matching the same physical description standing behind him.

The woman “in Russian stated to him in substance: run away from here, I have a gun, I am going to shoot you,” the complaint says.

Prosecutors allege the woman then made motions toward the inside of her jacket, leading the victim to believe she had a firearm. The complaint says the victim suffered a laceration to his right forearm and feared for his immediate physical safety.

The complaint also describes surveillance video from outside 20 West 47th St. at about 5:50 PM on Wednesday. A still image was created from the video and shown to a New York City police officer, who recognized the individual as Mochalova “based on previous interactions with the defendant.”

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication.