(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing a firestorm of criticism from his own police force over his response to a mob that pelted NYPD cops with snowballs.
The New York City Police Department released images of a crowd throwing snowballs and chunks of ice at officers responding to calls about disorderly conduct in Washington Square Park in Manhattan, where people gathered for a “snowball fight” organized on social media following Monday’s historic blizzard. Several officers were injured in the incident, the NYPD said.
Wanted for ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER: On 2/23/26 at approximately 4:20 PM, two uniformed police officers were inside Washington Square Park when two individuals intentionally struck the officers multiple times with snow and ice causing injury to their head, neck, and face.… pic.twitter.com/uTvF3fKCyI— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 24, 2026
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Mamndani shrugged off suggestions that the assailants should be charged with assaulting police officers.
“From the videos that I’ve seen, it looks like kids at a snowball fight,” the democratic socialist told reporters.
But Patrick Hendry, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, called the mayor’s response “a complete failure of leadership” that ignores the injuries by police officers and creates the potential risk for other attacks on law-enforcement officials.
“This was not just a ‘snowball fight.’ This was an assault — by adults throwing chunks of ice and rocks — that landed two police officers in the hospital with head and face injuries,” he said in a statement.
“By ignoring their injuries and dismissing the incident, the mayor has sent a disgraceful message to every police officer who serves this city, and a dangerous message to every person who might be looking to attack a police officer in the future,” he added.
The NYPD posted on its social media seeking tips for two suspects “Wanted for ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER.” The NYPD notice said “two uniformed police officers were inside Washington Square Park when two individuals intentionally struck the officers multiple times with snow and ice causing injury to their head, neck, and face.”
“I want to be very clear: The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. “Our detectives are investigating this matter.”
The state’s Republican Party also chimed in the incident, calling the attack on cops “a direct consequence of the lawless culture that Zohran Mamdani and the radical left have spent years cultivating.”
“This wasn’t “kids being kids” — it was a violent mob inspired by Zohran Mamdani’s anti-police rhetoric,” NYGOP spokesman David Laska said in a statement. “When you vilify police, you empower the mob.”
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Mamdani political ally, also criticized the snowball incident, posting on X that NYPD officers “put themselves on the line to protect us every day” and that “it is never acceptable to throw anything at a police officer, full stop.”
Mamdani later posted a message on social media praising NYPD officers for “keeping New Yorkers safe” during the blizzard. He noted that they have also been involved with digging out cars and helping people during the storm.
“Across this city, they and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect,” he said. “The only person in our city’s workforce who deserves to be hit with a snowball is me.”
