Mayor Zohran Mamdani toughened his rhetoric Wednesday about a large snowball fight in Washington Square Park where police officers were pelted with snow, as the NYPD searches for four suspects investigators say assaulted officers.
Speaking a day after initially describing the melee as kids at a snowball fight, Mamdani acknowledged the situation escalated.
“What I saw yesterday in these videos was a snowball fight that got out of hand,” the mayor said.
What You Need To Know
Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the snowball fight “got out of hand” but does not believe criminal charges are warranted
Police say two officers suffered facial lacerations during a snowball melee in Washington Square Park
The NYPD is investigating the incident as an assault and seeking four male suspects
Mamdani has said he does not believe the incident warrants criminal charges, even as the NYPD investigates it as an assault. Police said two officers suffered lacerations to the face. Detectives are seeking to identify four males in connection with the incident.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has called the conduct criminal, drawing a contrast with the mayor’s assessment.
The mayor praised the NYPD as the heart of the city’s storm response and said officers should be treated with respect. But when asked again about possible charges, Mamdani reiterated his view.
“To me, it was a snowball fight that got out of hand, and it should be treated accordingly,” he said.
Mamdani fielded questions at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, where he was encouraging parents to sign up for free pre-K and 3-K programs ahead of Friday’s deadline.
He was also asked about being mentioned by President Donald Trump during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
Trump, criticizing a city program that pays residents to shovel snow during winter storms, said it was “bad policy,” before arguing that identification is required to get paid but not to vote.
“Yet they don’t want identification for the greatest privilege of them all — voting in America,” Trump said.
Mamdani said he was pleased the snow-shoveling program was receiving attention.
The mayor was also asked about his absence from a “tax the rich” rally in Albany. He said it was no sign he has backed off his campaign to press Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and corporations to help close a budget gap of nearly $5.5 billion.