The New York Police Department is investigating an incident in Manhattan after a widely shared video showed officers being struck by snowballs while moving through a boisterous crowd in Washington Square Park. The footage prompted sharply different public reactions from the city’s police leadership and the mayor, with the police commissioner describing criminal conduct and the mayor calling it youthful misbehavior.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said detectives were examining the video and that it showed "individuals attacking cops" in the park. In a statement, she said the conduct was "disgraceful, and it is criminal." The department and the mayor reported that two officers sustained "lacerations" to their face or neck from snowballs and were transported to a nearby hospital in "stable condition."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, speaking at a press conference about the city’s response to the recent blizzard, resisted labeling the actions shown in the videos as a crime. He repeatedly described what he saw as "kids at a snowball fight" and declined to say whether he agreed with the police commissioner that an offense had been committed. The mayor nonetheless urged New Yorkers not to throw snowballs at police officers and praised the city workforce for its efforts during and after the storm.
"They and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect," Mamdani told reporters, adding a quip intended to underline his view of the event: "The only person in our city’s workforce who deserves to be treated with a snowball is me."
The incident unfolded on a day when schools and roads were closed and a snow day was in effect. An estimated two dozen inches of snow blanketed parts of the city, drawing many residents to Washington Square Park on Monday afternoon to take part in outdoor recreation. Mamdani faces his second major snowstorm since taking office on Jan. 1.
Around 4 p.m., several officers responded to a 911 report of a disorderly group in the park. One of the most-shared videos shows uniformed officers walking through a noisy crowd while being pelted with snow. At least two people are shown being pushed to the ground by officers in the video. In another clip, an officer appears to have been struck in the eye, which looked reddened.
City officials said that as of Tuesday afternoon no arrests had been made in connection with the incident. The department said it was continuing its investigation.
Context and reactions
The widely circulated footage touched off debate over where to draw the line between a spontaneous public snowball fight and conduct that constitutes assault on law enforcement. Commissioner Tisch and other police officials urged that the behavior visible in the video meet the threshold for criminal charges against individuals who targeted uniformed officers. The mayor and some others framed the confrontation as part of a larger scene of revelry among residents taking advantage of an unscheduled day off due to the storm.
At his press conference on the city’s storm response, Mamdani was asked whether calls for arrests amounted to an overreaction. He reiterated his view that the episode was a snowball fight and left judgment on criminality to others, while emphasizing support for police and city employees who worked during the blizzard.
Investigative status and public safety implications
Detectives are reviewing the available video and other information as part of the NYPD inquiry. Officials said two officers required medical attention for cuts to the face or neck. The investigation’s further steps, including whether charges will be filed or arrests made, have not been disclosed. The lack of arrests as of Tuesday afternoon leaves unresolved questions about how prosecutors and police will address similar incidents in public spaces during large, informal gatherings.