NYPD (file)
NYPD (file)Mendy Hechtman/Flash90

A Jewish man was stabbed in the back in an apparently unprovoked attack in New York's Crown Heights neighborhood on Wednesday morning.

The victim is in his 30s, and suffered from stab wounds to his upper back.

The attack occurred at a check cashing center at Kingston Ave and Empire Boulevard, according to the JP Updates site.

The New York Police Department say they are searching for a black male who fled the scene immediately after the attack. Investigators now believe the incident was a hate crime.

Video from the scene shows the attacker - in a blue hoodie - fleeing the scene.

Hatzalah paramedics evacuated him to hospital in serious but stable condition, with a collapsed lung.

The victim - a yeshiva student - later told police he had never seen his attacker before or even exchanged words with him.