OAN Staff Lillian Mann
3:40 PM – Sunday, June 14, 2026

Manhattan descended into chaos overnight as tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans poured into the streets to celebrate the team’s long-awaited NBA title, ending a 53-year championship drought.

Crowds surged into the city streets, vandalizing New York Police Department (NYPD) vehicles and setting buses ablaze in Times Square. Authorities reported 63 arrests amid the unrest, including a 17-year-old who was shot in the foot during the celebrations. He was transported to the hospital by NYPD officers after emergency responders were unable to reach him due to the dense crowds.

Shocking video footage showed crowds in Times Square swarming yellow school buses that were reportedly designated to transport soccer fans to FIFA World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. NYPD reported five school buses lit on fire or destroyed with bats and people jumping on them.

“As the game progressed and then following the game, the crowds became increasingly destructive, and there were many incidents of incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior,” the NYPD said in a statement.

 

Fans also reportedly destroyed NYPD vehicles and other nearby cars, climbed tarffic lights and set off fireworks amid dense crowds. Traffic was blocked across multiple roads as large fights broke out.

The NYPD also reported 4 stabbings and 15 others who face criminal charges. Among the charges were an assault on a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration, NYPD said.

“The vast majority of New Yorkers celebrated appropriately. There were some who did not,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday. “We said time and again, no matter how excited we are, there’s no tolerance for violence, whether towards police officers or anyone else. I appreciate the men and women of the NYPD for keeping our city safe.”

 

After a small trash fire was ignited, mounted officers—whose horses were fitted with protective eye gear—formed a line to push the crowd from the street as crowd-control units assembled behind them.

Furthermore, 10 NYPD officers were injured, including one who was punched in the face and another who was struck with a glass bottle.

Notably, Madison Square Garden (MSG) canceled its official Game 4 watch party amid a public dispute with city officials over security restrictions. The decision followed sharp criticism from MSG executives of the NYPD and Mamdani over the city’s security plan, which called for a large perimeter and additional crowd-control measures around the arena.

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