{"id":156536,"date":"2026-03-08T01:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T01:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/156536\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T01:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T01:32:09","slug":"nyc-protest-2-arrested-after-ignited-device-was-thrown-amid-tensions-between-counter-protest-groups-outside-nyc-mayors-mansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/156536\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC protest: 2 arrested after ignited device was thrown amid tensions between counter protest groups outside NYC mayor\u2019s mansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Two people were arrested after two \u201csuspicious\u201d devices, which are still being analyzed, were ignited outside the New York City mayor\u2019s mansion as tensions escalated between two opposing protest groups, police said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWitnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers,\u201d NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said at a news conference. Six people in total were arrested in connection with the events that unfolded between the groups.\n <\/p>\n

\n The bomb squad responded and examined both devices, preliminarily determining they were slightly smaller than a football, appeared to be a jar wrapped in black tape containing bolts, screws and a hobby fuse that could be lit, Tisch said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Both devices were sent for further testing and analysis, as it\u2019s not yet clear whether they were functional and improvised explosives or hoax devices, Tisch said. No injuries were reported.\n <\/p>\n

\n An anti-Islam protest organized by right-wing influencer and pardoned January 6 rioter Jake Lang<\/a> drew roughly 20 participants, while the counter-protest, \u201cDrive the Nazis Out of New York,\u201d was attended by about 125 people at its peak, Tisch said. The incident took place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan outside Gracie Mansion where New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji live.\n <\/p>\n

\n The two groups were separated into \u201cdesignated protest areas\u201d by NYPD officers, the commissioner said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Mamdani\u2019s spokesperson called the Lang-organized protest \u201cdespicable and Islamophobic,\u201d saying the events \u201care a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly.\u201d The mayor and his wife are safe, and Mamdani has been in contact with Tisch, said press secretary Joe Calvello.\n <\/p>\n

\n Tensions escalated shortly before noon between the two groups and were further inflamed when a protester associated with Lang\u2019s group used pepper spray against counterprotesters at around 12:15 p.m., Tisch said. About 20 minutes later, a 18-year-old counterprotester \u201clit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area,\u201d which landed on a crosswalk, she added.\n <\/p>\n

\n The man who threw the first device ran southbound to retrieve a second device from another man, who is 19-year-old, before also lighting that device and starting to run with it, she said. He dropped the second device on a street and officers secured the area, taking both men into custody, Tisch added.\n <\/p>\n

\"View<\/p>\n

\n The six people arrested include two who were responsible for handling and deploying the devices, the person who deployed pepper spray and three others for disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic, Tisch said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Officers established a safety perimeter around the area and began to conduct a search with canine sweeps and manual canvassing of surrounding blocks to search for any additional hazards, which is still ongoing, the commissioner said.\n <\/p>\n

\n There\u2019s no indication the incident is related to the ongoing conflict in Iran, Tisch said, stressing the investigation remains active and ongoing \u201cgiven the heightened threat environment.\u201d She commended NYPD officers for running toward the man who carried the ignited \u201csuspicious device\u201d for \u201cputting the safety of others in their sworn duty to protect and serve above their own personal safety.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on the incident, and was \u201cgrateful there are no reported injuries.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cNew York respects the right to peaceful protest, but we have zero tolerance for hate or violence,\u201d Hochul said.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two people were arrested after two \u201csuspicious\u201d devices, which are still being analyzed, were ignited outside the New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":{"0":"post-156536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-ny","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-nyc-headlines","12":"tag-nyc-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}