Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to endorse on Tuesday calls by police unions and the city’s police commissioner to treat a snowball fight at Washington Square Park as a criminal matter, urging New Yorkers instead to respect officers while repeatedly describing the incident as a snowball fight involving young people.
Speaking at a weather-related press conference in Brooklyn on Feb. 24, Mamdani said he had reviewed videos of Monday’s incident, but did not explicitly agree with characterizations from the Police Benevolent Association and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch of the incident as being criminal, despite an ongoing NYPD investigation.
“I’ve seen videos of kids throwing snowballs at members of the NYPD in Washington Square Park,” Mamdani said. “First, I want to say that officers have been on the front line of helping our city respond to this blizzard. They have been keeping New Yorkers safe, and they have also been at the heart of our efforts of digging New Yorkers’ cars out of these kinds of conditions and ensuring that our ambulances or MTA buses can keep functioning across this city. They and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect.”
Those comments were nearly identical to a post earlier Tuesday morning on X in which he emphasized respect for officers during a historic blizzard while using humor to defuse tensions.
Mamdani said two officers suffered lacerations to their faces during the incident.
“The only person in our city’s workforce who deserves to be treated with a snowball is me,” he added, referencing past occasions, like during Winter Storm Fern and again Monday, when he invited NYC public school students to throw snowballs at him over remote learning and snow days.
Asked whether he knew for certain whether those involved were children or adults, the mayor said, “I can just tell you from the video I saw, it looked like kids at a snowball fight.”
Pressed again on whether he supported the criminal investigation announced by police leadership, Mamdani reiterated his view: “I don’t from the videos that I’ve seen, it looks like a snowball fight.”
His tone contrasted sharply with that of Tisch, who condemned the incident as “disgraceful” and said detectives were investigating what she described as criminal behavior after officers responding to reports of disorderly conduct were pelted with snowballs.
According to police and video footage circulating online, a large crowd gathered in the Greenwich Village park following Monday’s blizzard for a snowball fight scheduled online, initially engaging in harmless winter fun. As officers arrived, some members of the crowd began throwing snowballs at police, surrounding officers, and shouting taunts.
At least one person was arrested, police said. Several officers were struck by snowballs, though no serious injuries were reported beyond the facial lacerations.
Police unions sharply criticized the incident and the mayor’s comments. The Police Benevolent Association called the behavior “unacceptable and outrageous” and said those involved must be identified, arrested, and charged with assault on a police officer, urging city leaders to condemn what it described as an attack.
In response to Mamdani’s remarks on Tuesday afternoon, PBA President Patrick Hendry described his response as “a complete failure of leadership.”
“This was not just a ‘snowball fight.’ This was an assault — by adults throwing chunks of ice and rocks — that landed two police officers in the hospital with head and face injuries,” Hendry said. “By ignoring their injuries and dismissing the incident, the mayor has sent a disgraceful message to every police officer who serves this city, and a dangerous message to every person who might be looking to attack a police officer in the future.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul also weighed in, saying in a post, “Our NYPD officers put themselves on the line to protect us every day. It is never acceptable to throw anything at a police officer, full stop.”
The NYPD said its investigation into Monday’s incident remains ongoing.
With reporting from Dean Moses
