NYPD officers were pelted and hospitalized by a crowd of teenagers, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it just a snowball fight

Two men have been arrested and charged by the Manhattan district attorney after a large snowball fight in Washington Square Park left multiple NYPD officers hospitalized. Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, and Eric Wilson Jr., 18, face charges of harassment and obstructing government administration following the February 23 incident. The event has caused a major clash between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the police department.

According to The Guardian, the situation began when a blizzard shut down New York City, closing schools and leaving many young people with nowhere to go. Instagram chat show Sidetalk invited a crowd to Washington Square Park for a snowball fight. One attendee, Gabriella Yankovich, said it “started getting chaotic once people were throwing gigantic blocks of ice,” and she left shortly after.

Within an hour, 911 calls came in about teenagers climbing a park building and throwing things at people inside. When officers arrived, they were surrounded and hit with snowballs and ice. Videos spread quickly on social media. Shortly after, police confirmed that several officers had been injured and taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Mamdani’s dismissive response has put him on a collision course with the NYPD early in his term

The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) called the incident “unacceptable and outrageous” and demanded arrests. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called it “disgraceful” and “criminal.” Governor Kathy Hochul said throwing anything at an officer is unacceptable, and City Comptroller Mark Levine said the behavior “absolutely cannot be normalized.”

Mayor Mamdani responded very differently. He posted on social media, calling the videos “kids throwing snowballs,” and joked, “If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me.” This response widened the gap between him and the NYPD. 

Mamdani has also faced personal attacks from political opponents, and he recently spoke out against a senator’s bigoted remarks toward him. He only recently won the mayoral race in November and had previously called the department “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety” and supported defunding it.

The NYPD posted photos of four suspects the next day, saying they injured officers Nicholas Johnson and Salvatore Stallone. Coulibaly, a content creator, was identified through a recent arrest for attempted robbery. He was initially charged with a violent felony, with prosecutors saying he caused Johnson injuries including “redness, tenderness and pain to the eye, as well as pain to the head and neck.” 

The charge was later reduced due to insufficient evidence. Wilson, who has no criminal record and turned himself in, allegedly hit Stallone with several snowballs, causing the officer to be “annoyed, harassed and alarmed.”

Mamdani’s financial plan for his term includes canceling the hiring of 5,000 additional NYPD officers, which has already drawn strong criticism. He is also pushing for a civilian department of community safety that would handle many nonviolent situations and redirect a large share of 911 calls away from police. 

Despite the ongoing tensions, Mamdani’s first month in office did show some positive results, with NYC homicides dropping significantly under Mamdani. Hendry has accused the mayor of putting a “bullseye” on officers’ backs. Coulibaly and Wilson are due back in court next month.