New York City police are investigating after officers were bombarded with snowballs while responding to a large snowball fight at Washington Square Park in Manhattan during a winter storm that blanketed the Northeast.
Video from the scene shows two uniformed officers walking along a park pathway on Monday as snowballs are hurled at them from multiple directions, striking them and covering them in snow.
The visibly frustrated officers push at least two individuals to the ground. In one moment, a person runs up behind an officer and smears snow on his head. Toward the end of the footage, one officer appears to rub his eye.
In a statement on Tuesday, the New York Police Department said several officers were hit in the face with snowballs and were taken by EMS to a nearby hospital in stable condition. Authorities did not provide further details about their injuries. No arrests have been announced.
Jessica Tisch, the city’s police commissioner, called the behavior “disgraceful” and “criminal" and said the department is investigating.
Several political figures in the city were quick to denounce the dust up, with many of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s critics seizing on the incident as evidence that respect for law enforcement has declined under the new mayor, who faced attacks during his campaign over criticisms he made of the department in 2020. Mamdani has walked back those past remarks.
Mamdani, in a post on X on Tuesday, wrote, "I've seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park. Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving. Treat them with respect. If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me.”
“Our NYPD officers put themselves on the line to protect us every day,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X. “It is never acceptable to throw anything at a police officer, full stop.”
