Russian woman indicted for needle stabbings in Diamond District

Two victims faced federal hate crime charges after a 32-year-old Russian national allegedly stabbed them with a needle in Manhattan. The incidents occurred on October 21, 2026, near the Diamond District.

Federal prosecutors identified the suspect as Anna Mochalova. They accused her of using a sharp object consistent with a needle during both attacks. The first victim walked along West 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues at approximately 5:50 p.m. He wore a black hat and tzitzit, strings attached to the corners of a prayer shawl. Mochalova then approached a second victim at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street. This location sits two blocks from the initial incident. The second man wore a yarmulke. Mochalova bumped him several times before stabbing his right forearm.

A witness present during the second attack stated that Mochalova asked if he was Jewish. She apologized when he answered no. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said the weapon and its potential contents remain unknown pending further investigation. McDonald noted the attack was terrifying because of the specific tool used. Mochalova faces two hate crime charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the actions struck fear in an entire community. She described a hate crime as a message written in violence and said this defendant’s message was loud and clear. Attorney information for the accused was not made immediately available.