Celebrations over the Knicks’ first NBA championship in more than 50 years turned chaotic in New York, leaving 63 people under arrest, a 17-year-old wounded in a shooting, and several others injured in stabbings and street fights.
After the Knicks’ 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on June 13, tens of thousands of fans flooded the area around Madison Square Garden. In a statement to Oxygen, a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information described the crowds as “unruly.”
What began as a night of jubilation escalated as some fans became, in the words of police, “reckless and dangerous.” Authorities said the disorder led to numerous injuries and criminal charges as the celebration spilled deeper into the night.
Videos posted to social media depicted people dousing motorists with water, harassing fans of the opposing team, and fighting each other, as authorities worked to manage the scene. Mayor Zohran Mamdani noted in a June 15 press conference that while the majority of New Yorkers celebrated “responsibly,” the violence was “unacceptable.”
Among the most serious incidents was the shooting of a 17-year-old near 43rd Street and Broadway. Police said the teenager told officers he had been riding a Citi Bike. The New York Times reported that he was shot in the foot. Because the dense crowds prevented an ambulance from getting through, NYPD officers took the teen to a hospital themselves, according to police. Investigators later recovered a firearm at the scene and detained three people of interest.
Police also reported multiple large fights during the unrest, along with four separate stabbings or slashings.
The violence also left 10 officers hurt, authorities said. According to the NYPD statement, one officer was punched in the face, while another was struck with a glass bottle.
Property damage was also extensive. Five school buses designated to transport people from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium for World Cup games were set on fire, smashed with baseball bats and vandalized by people who jumped on top of them.
Meanwhile, individuals armed with baseball bats shattered the front and rear windshields of NYPD patrol cars and personal vehicles were destroyed.
People also set off fireworks in large crowds and climbed on top of light poles, traffic lights, scaffolding and other structures.
Over the course of the night, various individuals were charged with assault on a police officer, criminal possession of weapon, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, and obstruction of governmental administration, according to the NYPD.
