A New York City snowball fight gone wrong leaves Mayor Mamdani at odds with police

What started as an innocent snowball fight during the New York City blizzard has, in fact, snowballed, landing Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city's police leadership in a row.

Video taken Monday afternoon in Washington Square Park shows a snowball fight following an epic snowstorm devolving into some parkgoers apparently targeting police with snowballs.

Mamdani said afterwards that those involved shouldn't face charges, instead urging New Yorkers to treat officers with respect. But his response has him at odds with police leaders, who called his statements "disgraceful".

On Tuesday, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) released photos of four people they say assaulted officers with snowballs, injuring them.

"I want to be very clear," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote on social media the day of the fight. "The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal."

Viral clips of the snowball fight have made the rounds on TikTok and X in the days since a storm dumped nearly 20 inches of snow on the city. Washington Square Park in Manhattan's Greenwich Village often hosts large crowds for snow-day activities and snowball fights, including another one just weeks ago during the city's last big storm.

But the tone of Monday's snowball fight changed. After NYPD officers arrived in response to 911 calls, video shows people yelling profanities and throwing snowballs as officers walk back to their vans.

The police department is now seeking four men who they describe as approximately aged 18 to 20.

An NYPD spokesperson said they "intentionally struck the police officers multiple times with snow and ice in the head, neck, and face causing injuries". The officers were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mamdani said he saw video of the incident and doesn't think there should be charges.

"From the videos that I 've seen, it looked like kids at a snowball fight," Mamdani said.

In a post on social media later, the mayor encouraged residents to respect officers and other city employees.

"Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving. Treat them with respect," he said. "If anyone's catching a snowball, it's me."

Mamdani on Wednesday said again that what he saw "was a snowball fight", acknowledging that it "got out of hand, but that's what it was".

The mayor jokingly encouraged city school kids to throw snowballs at him for re-opening school after the blizzard. But for some critics, his attempt to lighten the mood hasn't worked.

"The mayor's response is a complete failure of leadership. 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," Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Patrick Hendry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"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."

The Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) agreed: "Today it is snowballs. Tomorrow it could be rocks, bottles, or worse," said union President Vincent Vallelong.

It's the unions' first major row with the mayor who, before taking office, apologised for previous comments calling the NYPD "racist" and "a threat to public safety". During his run for mayor, his opponents repeatedly characterised him as unfriendly to police and weak on public safety.

Once elected in November, Mamdani asked Tisch, an appointee of former Mayor Eric Adams, to continue serving. Retaining Tisch, largely popular with moderates and business leaders, was viewed by some as Mamdani's way to allay concerns he would be soft on crime.

Tension between mayors and the police union is not a new phenomenon, said Basil Smikle, a political strategist and former executive director of the state Democratic Party, especially when those mayors have a history of advocating for criminal justice reform.

"The mayor is trying to walk a fine line between not giving into narratives about young people of colour in this city, which is important," he said, but added, "The police officers themselves and the PBA are always going to be sensitive to the mayor not standing up for police."

For example, former New York mayor Bill de Blasio's relationship with police unions became hostile after he called out racial disparities in policing, Smikle said. The then-president of the PBA accused de Blasio of having "blood" on his hands after two officers were shot and killed during his tenure.

Mamdani's previous rhetoric puts any comments he makes about the police under a microscope, said Smikle.

"Some may look at this incident as being somewhat playful, but it's hard to dissociate what could very easily be construed as animosity toward the police," he said. "He will always be viewed through those prior statements."