New York City’s Carl Schurz Park near Gracie Mansion was evacuated Tuesday as police investigated a suspicious package.
The neighborhood has been on edge after this weekend, when two Pennsylvania teens were arrested over the weekend for allegedly bringing improvised explosive devices to a protest outside Gracie Mansion as part of “an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The NYPD said East End Avenue between 85th Street and 87th Street was closed Tuesday while the bomb squad investigates.
Emergency responders on the scene at Carl Schurz Park following a report of a suspicious package on March 10, 2026.
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“I have been briefed by [Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch] on a suspicious device found in Carl Schurz Park in my district. To ensure our community remains safe, we encourage everyone to follow the NYPD’s guidance and stay away from the area,” New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin posted on social media.
“We had the thing yesterday, again, the whole street was closed off,” resident Brendan Ryan said. “And now this again.”
“We’ve never had an event like this, as you can imagine, so there’s obviously concern,” one area resident said. “The police seem to have been timely and have matters in hand very quickly.”
“You live in New York City today, you have to pay attention no matter what you’re doing. It’s as simple as that,” Ryan said.
About this weekend’s arrests
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, were both charged with attempted support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS), use of a weapon of mass destruction, and transportation of explosive materials, according to the federal criminal complaint.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, face a judge for the first time since their arrests. March 9, 2026.
Christine Cornell
The two said they were inspired by ISIS, Tisch said.
“[Balat] also told investigators that he hoped to carry out an attack even bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing, which he noted resulted in ‘only three deaths,'” Tisch said.
Arrests came after dueling protests
The two were arrested amid dueling protests. One was an anti-Islam protest, with about 20 participants. That protest was organized by Jake Lang, who received a presidential pardon for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, Tisch said. A counterprotest drew about 100 people, including Balat and Kayumi.
A man flees after throwing a homemade explosive device towards police during a protest in front of Gracie Mansion, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence, on March 7, 2026.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU /AFP via Getty Images
About the IEDs found by police
The devices found over the weekend were bottles that had been filled explosive material and placed in glass jars that were wrapped in tape and surrounded by nuts and bolts for shrapnel, sources said.
A homemade explosive device is seen on the ground after outside Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 7, 2026.
Matthew Hoen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Another suspicious device was found Sunday in a car about three blocks away.
Read the criminal complaint
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