Officers injured, four suspects sought, and a mayor who says no charges are warranted
A Winter Melee Becomes a Political Test
What began as a social-media-organized snowball fight at Washington Square Park during a late February blizzard rapidly escalated into one of the most politically charged moments of Zohran Mamdani’s young mayoralty. By the time the snow cleared, two NYPD officers had suffered facial lacerations, four suspects were being sought, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch had called for a criminal investigation — and the mayor was insisting that no charges were warranted. The clash between Mamdani and his own police commissioner laid bare a fundamental tension in his administration: how to honor a commitment to reimagining public safety while maintaining a functional relationship with the department he oversees.
What Happened in the Park
The event was organized largely through social media, drawing dozens of mostly teenagers and young adults to Washington Square Park as the blizzard wound down on Monday evening. Witnesses described a scene that started as harmless fun — people pelting each other with snowballs in a famous public space. Then it escalated. Some participants began throwing snow and ice from the roof of the park’s restroom building. When officers arrived to investigate, they became targets. “It wasn’t supposed to be violent,” one witness told reporters. “It started out as a very fun thing to do. And then, you know, it just escalated.” Part of the confusion, the witness noted, was that some participants initially mistook the officers for ICE agents. That detail — people in a heavily immigrant city second-guessing whether uniformed figures are police or immigration enforcement — speaks volumes about the current political climate. The NYPD confirmed two officers suffered lacerations to the face. Detectives released images of four male suspects and opened a formal assault investigation. The Sergeants Benevolent Association and other police unions called the incident an attack, and released photographs of the alleged perpetrators along with statements condemning the mayor’s response.
Mamdani’s Position: A Snowball Fight, Not a Crime
From the outset, Mamdani declined to frame the incident as criminal. His initial public statement described it as a snowball fight. By Wednesday, he had softened his language slightly — acknowledging that it “got out of hand” — but he held firm on the core point: “To me, it was a snowball fight that got out of hand, and it should be treated accordingly.” Asked directly whether he believed criminal charges were warranted, the mayor sidestepped. He praised the NYPD as central to the city’s storm response and urged respect for officers. But he would not endorse prosecution. When asked whether there was a rift between him and Commissioner Tisch, Mamdani insisted their relationship remained strong. “I’m appreciative of the work that my police commissioner does and the work that we are doing to keep New Yorkers safe across the city,” he said.
Tisch Draws a Contrast
Commissioner Jessica Tisch has taken a clearly different view. She has called the conduct criminal, ordered a formal investigation, and directed detectives to identify and question four individuals seen in videos from the park. She met with Mamdani at City Hall on Wednesday, updated him on the ongoing investigation, and has not backed down from her position that the officers were assaulted. Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce was blunt in assessing the fallout. “Not to back up the men and women is really, really bad,” Boyce said. “This is a seminal moment.” The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and other policing policy researchers have long noted that the relationship between a mayor and police commissioner is central to effective department management — and that public disagreements over accountability send complex signals to both officers and the public they serve. The Vera Institute of Justice has documented how decisions about when to prosecute — or not — shape community trust in ways that extend well beyond any single incident.
The ICE Factor and Community Context
The detail about participants mistaking officers for ICE agents is more than a footnote. It reflects a specific anxiety that runs through many immigrant communities in New York right now. Under the Trump administration’s expanded enforcement posture, ICE has conducted operations in cities including New York, and fear of encounters with federal agents has changed how some residents interact with — or avoid — any law enforcement presence. That context does not excuse throwing ice at officers. But it does help explain why a snowball fight involving young people in a public park could escalate in the particular way it did in the winter of 2026.
One Arrest, Ongoing Investigation
By Thursday, one man had been arrested in connection with the incident. The NYPD investigation continued, with detectives working to identify the remaining suspects. The New York City Police Department has not publicly detailed the specific charges being pursued. The political fallout, however, extends well beyond the legal proceedings. The snowball fight has become a symbol — for supporters of the mayor, of his commitment to proportionality and de-escalation; for his critics, of a failure to stand unequivocally with officers who were hurt in the line of duty. Both readings are partial. Both are circulating widely. The mayor is going to have to live with both for some time to come.
