Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP / Getty Images
Several New York City Police Department officers were injured Monday after a crowd pelted them with snowballs at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, leaving some officers with lacerations on their faces and sparking widespread outrage from law enforcement and elected officials.
According to NYPD officials, officers were dispatched to the park shortly after 4 p.m. in response to a report of multiple individuals climbing on top of a roof inside the park. When officers arrived, a large, disorderly crowd began throwing snowballs at them. Several officers were struck in the face with enough force to suffer lacerations. Emergency Medical Services transported the injured officers to a nearby hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
No arrests had been made as of early Tuesday, and the incident remains under active investigation.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch did not mince words in her response. Writing on X, she said: "The NYPD is aware of certain videos taken earlier today in Washington Square Park showing individuals attacking cops. I want to be very clear: The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal. Our detectives are investigating this matter."
The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York was equally forceful, calling the incident "unacceptable and outrageous." In a statement on social media, the PBA said: "This is the environment that NYC police officers are up against. Our police officers are being treated for their injuries, but the case CANNOT end there. The individuals involved must be identified, arrested and charged with assault on a police officer. And all of our city leaders must speak up to condemn this despicable attack."
Detectives' Endowment Association President Scott Munro also condemned the attack, calling it "a deliberate, outrageous, and dangerous attack on uniformed police officers." He called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to prosecute everyone involved. "No free pass. No get out of jail free card," Munro said. "Make no mistake: detectives will do what they always do. They will identify those involved and they will apprehend them."
Several other current and former New York leaders spoke out as well. Representative Nicole Malliotakis wrote on X: "This is disgraceful. @NYCMayor and every elected official in our city should denounce this juvenile attack on our #NYPD." Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also called the incident "disgraceful," and tied it to what he described as the mayor's previous characterizations of police. "With a mayor who has a history of calling the police 'racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,' he set the tone," Cuomo said. "Words have consequences."
Former NYPD Chief of Department John Chell called the attack a "f—ing disgrace," saying the officers "were outnumbered — yet stood tall the best they could." He urged a strong show of force in the park the following morning and said any officer struck by a snowball should result in immediate arrests.
As of early Tuesday, Mayor Mamdani had not publicly commented on the snowball attack. His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Investigators are continuing to review video footage of the incident as they work to identify and apprehend those responsible.
Photo Credit: Getty Images