By Gus Saltonstall
A man was stabbed Friday night on the Upper West Side, a police spokesperson confirmed to West Side Rag.
A 22-year-old man was stabbed multiple times throughout his body around 9 p.m. within Straus Park near Broadway and West 107th Street, police said.
NYPD told the Rag that the 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were being harassed by a man in the area, when a “physical altercation ensued” and the attacker kicked the woman, before stabbing the man repeatedly.
The 22-year-old man was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition, police said. The 21-year-old woman was also taken to the same hospital in stable condition, NYPD said.
The attacker originally fled the scene, but around 25 minutes after the stabbing, Asher Zwarenstein, 32, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of assault in connection to the attack, police said. Zwarenstein is a Morningside Heights resident, NYPD added.
The Rag will update this story, if we are able to learn more.
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I wonder if it was a hate crime
I wonder if it was self-defense.
He stabbed the man multiple times and kicked the woman. They are both in the hospital. That would be a lot of self-defense.
What part of this article makes it seem like this was self defense?
None I was just wondering what part made anyone think it was a hate crime.
Why bother speculating? Let the NYPD investigate
It’s very rare for Jews to be violent in this way. We are not known for this type of behavior. The last Jewish man I recall who stabbed that poor tourist was very mentally ill. I wonder what happened in this conflict. I pray the victims are okay and that justice is served.
Wait excuse me what
This is truly the most bizarre comment, and that’s among dozens here that make the NY Post look woke!
RIGHT!?!?
Berkowitz wasn’t Jewish or anything. Cmon dude. Stop generalizing and understand that all people are humans, and humans do bad things sometimes regardless of their ethnicity or religion. I’m a Jew and still wondering where I misplaced my space laser.
Seriously? It’s 2025, let’s keep the generalizations about which group of people is “known to be violent” in the past. Anyone is capable of violence, regardless of race, gender, economic status, or religious beliefs. Generalizations such as this are dangerous and contribute to the growing hate and divide in our city/country.
That’s a strange comment. Leopold and Loeb were Jewish. Arnold Rothstein was Jewish. Bugsy Siegel was Jewish. Meyer Lansky was Jewish. I could go on and on … criminals come in all shapes, colors, and sizes … and religions and ethnicities.
Evil is a mental illness.
You are making a lot of unsubstantiated speculations and generalizations.
We are in a very divided society and there’s absolutely nothing helpful about a partisan comment like this, in my opinion.
Sounds like there’s probably a lot more to the story here. I hope WSR follows as it evolves.
If your gen x or earlier, you know not to go into the parks after dark. Even the postage stamp ones.
Funny, I’m Gen-X and was in the park at the time. I heard the commotion behind me and thought it was just a fight. I saw one person had pinned another on a bench but couldn’t tell what was going on. Then the police and ambulance showed up and that’s when I realized it hadn’t just been a fistfight.
Just a fight?!
Walk away when ever possible..If not RUN..
Not to victim blame, but why are people still in parks after dark????
Sitting on a bench on Riverside drive is not IN the park, it’s by the park
The other incident that happened was not in the park it was between West end Avenue and Riverside drive. The incident of Strauss Park is the small island park in the middle of busy Broadway. I hear where you’re coming from though. It is not a good idea to walk inside the park after dark which is sad because it’s so lovely to sit outside in the summer evenings..alas…
1) Straus park is the size of a studio apartment. Someone could just be walking up Broadway for all we know.
2) That’s literally what victim blaming is.
This is the ultimate “I’m not racist, BUT…” statement.
He should be charged with attempted murder, not assault.
I hope they get to the bottom of this! Glad they got the stabber, and I’m glad the wounded are getting treatment. Sheesh, what an awful thing to have happen!
Why is he carrying a knife or whatever he used to stab the victims? Why do we read day in and day out about acts of violence carried out by boys and men? Who is raising them and why do they end up like this? Society is paying a tremendous price for this out of control anger that turns into acts of violence for which there is no justification.
Please don’t blame mothers/parents and suggest predators were raised improperly. I’m sure there are a lot of mothers out there wringing their hands about how their sons went wayward. It’s probably because of who these kids hang out with, wanting a piece of the bigger pie, dropping out of school, and not having a focus. But your question how they were raised is unfair and prejudicial in its own right.
It’s always been boys and men. Violent crime overwhelmingly a male pursuit.
Where are the cops on the UWS and Morningside Heights? I never see any. Good luck if Mamdani wins.
Oh, my God. We’re already declaring that “it’s all Mamdani’s fault.”
Maybe if we had better mental health / social programs available combined with a more affordable standard of living there’d be less troublesome people on the street committing crimes in the first place.
so, let’s see if I understand this: These crimes happen when we literally have a 20 year NYPD Captain as Mayor….. But ” Good luck if Mamdani wins.” Not sure that circle is squared.
So the cops aren’t do their jobs very well today and you say, “Good luck if Mamdani wins”? Police officers should be out and about in our neighborhoods apprehending and arresting people who commit crimes (without violating anybody’s constitutional rights) regardless of who is Mayor!
I think Tim was being sarcastic when he said good luck
The cop’s in the Mayors office. Doesn’t seem to have helped.
Yeah remember Mr Law and Order big man? Nothing even changed after he became Trump’s buddy. Makes not one iota of difference who is Mayor – cops carry on doing same thing
Well, maybe a social worker or a city-run grocery store would have turned Asher Zwarenstein away from choosing violence.
This thread of comments reveals racial bias so eloquently that you should all be a little bit ashamed of yourselves.
“Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that make him grow so great?”
The man who was arrested grew up the neighborhood and has been dealing with mental illness for years. This is a tragedy for him and horrific for the victims. Let’s not compound it with dangerous speculation.
I don’t know Zwarenstein’s individual story, but we need a better system of assuring that people with mental illnesses who also exhibit violent behavior are not left to roam around at will. Caring for such people “in the community” has not worked. Mental Hygiene Law Article 9 is a start toward making it easier for authorities to mandate involuntary commitment under certain conditions and, one hopes, to improve outpatient care.
When did mental illness become an excuse for violent and/or antisocial behavior?
Clearing out the crazies should by NYC priority number one.
This should be attempted murder
If the city is stupid enough to elect Mamdani, these crimes will happen with more regularity. But who cares as long as everyone can ride the bus for free. Safe streets are so over-rated.
I’m not a Mamdani supporter but these crimes are happening now. Clearly he has nothing to do with it.
Another commenter suggests avoiding parks at night and is called Racist. Huh?
Someone suggests it’s unusual to hear of a Jewish violent perpetrator and people flip out. But someone else comments that it’s always boys and men and Nobody flips out.
Why? Because it Is almost always boys and men.
Noticing that somethings are common and some things are rare is common sense.