Authorities are searching for a woman whose image was captured on surveillance footage after a 26-year-old Orthodox Jewish man was followed and stabbed in the back during Wednesday evening’s rush hour in Manhattan’s Diamond District.

The disturbing footage, circulated by Manhattan Shomrim, shows the suspect closely following the visibly Jewish victim near Fifth Avenue and West 47th Street. The man appears to recognize the danger and attempts to evade her by walking around a parked vehicle.

Moments later, he felt a sharp puncture in his lower back. Investigators believe the weapon may have been a needle or syringe, although it remains unclear whether the object contained any substance.

The victim, a Lubavitcher Hasid from Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, was treated by Hatzalah and transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

The suspect is described as a woman in her 30s, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, wearing blue jeans, white sneakers and a dark sweater tied around her waist. She reportedly fled west toward Sixth Avenue.

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating whether the victim was deliberately targeted because of his Jewish appearance. According to reports, the woman passed other pedestrians before pursuing the Orthodox Jewish man.

The attack comes amid rising antisemitic violence in New York City, where Jewish residents accounted for more than half of reported hate crime incidents during the first nine months of 2026.

Manhattan Shomrim is asking the public to help identify and locate the suspect. Anyone who recognizes her or has relevant surveillance footage is urged to contact the NYPD.

The suspect has not been publicly identified, and no arrest was confirmed in the latest reports.