Millions of Knicks fans leaving Lower Manhattan’s ticker-tape parade have dispersed with minimal commotion and fewer than a dozen arrests, according to the NYPD.
NYPD officials estimated the crowd to be more than two million people. They said the parade was still wrapping up and that official arrest and incident details were forthcoming Thursday afternoon.
Police so far reported only one stabbing. A person broke a glass bottle and slashed a 20-year-old man in the neck around noon following a dispute at Centre Street and Chambers Street. The victim’s condition was unknown.
The NYPD also said that a police officer protecting the parade route was scratched and injured.
The Knicks’ first championship win in 53 years captivated regular New Yorkers and the city’s political class alike. Immediately following the Knick’s’ come-from-behind win against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a ticker-tape parade along the traditional route from Bowling Green to City Hall through Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes.
While the morning commute was chaotic for many, Knicks fans were largely peaceful for the parade — a contrast to the night after the Knicks won the championship.
Some 200 people were arrested over NBA Finals week for brawling, chasing down Spurs fans, shooting people and damaging taxis, police cars and school buses.
NYPD prepared for millions of paradegoers and potential violence by deploying roughly a third of the city’s police force to lock down Lower Manhattan Thursday. In an attempt to ease crowds, police cleared cars from the streets and closed subway stations south of Canal.
Service resumed shortly after the festivities Thursday afternoon.