Brooklyn Woman Charged With Hate-Crime Assaults on Two Jewish Men in Midtown Manhattan, Complaint Says
Police arrested a 32-year-old Saturday after Wednesday's attacks five minutes apart. A judge set bail at $50,000 cash, and her lawyer questions whether police have the right person.
A Brooklyn woman is charged with hate-crime assaults on two Jewish men in Midtown Manhattan, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News.
The charges. Anna Mochalova, 32, was arrested Saturday evening and arraigned Sunday on two counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime, one count of second-degree menacing as a hate crime, and two counts each of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree aggravated harassment, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office confirmed. The judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond, half what prosecutors asked. Her next court date is Oct. 29.
The two attacks. The complaint puts the first at about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday outside 15 W. 47th St. A 26-year-old man in Hasidic dress said a woman followed him and cornered him against a vehicle, and he felt a sharp sting in his lower back. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. About five minutes later, at Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, a 37-year-old man in a yarmulke said someone repeatedly shoved him from behind and he felt a sting in his forearm. He told investigators the woman threatened him in Russian, said she had a gun and reached inside her jacket. He declined medical attention.
A third man. The 37-year-old also said he saw the woman ask another man nearby whether he was Jewish. When the man said he was Muslim, she apologized and walked away.
The arrest. Police credited surveillance video from West 47th Street and an officer who recognized her from earlier contacts. Manhattan Shomrim said its volunteers, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, other Shomrim groups and public tips helped.
The defense. Her Legal Aid attorney, Lila Carpenter, said: "These allegations are concerning. Whether they're my client's is a different story," per the New York Post.
The syringe question. The Post called the 26-year-old a rabbi and said a syringe was used. Fox says neither the police statement nor the complaint identifies the object.
Context. NYPD figures cited by Fox show confirmed hate crimes up nearly 13% in the first nine months of 2026, with 245 of the 463 anti-Jewish, against 242 a year earlier.
Note for readers: these are allegations in a complaint, and the defendant has not been convicted. We have not seen the complaint or video, and the syringe detail is the Post's claim, not confirmed by police.