Throwing snowballs at police is not a ‘crime’: Mayor Mamdani

Ema Alice: Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday dismissed viral videos of New Yorkers pelting NYPD officers with snow – contending it was just a ‘snowball fight.’

The frozen fracas in Washington Square Park on Monday had drawn wide outrage from pro-police pols and unions, with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch deeming it “criminal” and saying the department was investigating.

But when Mamdani was asked if he agreed, he effectively waved off the snowy skirmish as childish mischief gone overboard. “I’ve seen videos of kids doing snowballs at members of the NYPD in Washington Square Park. And first, I want to say that officers have been on the front line of helping our city respond to this blizzard,” he told reporters during a news conference providing updates on the blizzard.

“They have been keeping New Yorkers safe, and they have also been at the heart of our efforts of taking care of New Yorkers in these kinds of conditions … They and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect.

“The only person in our city’s workforce who deserves to be treated with a snowball is me,” he quipped. Anger over the flake-filled free-for-all snowballed for nearly a day before Mamdani addressed it – and the controversy didn’t melt away afterward.

Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Union, called Mamdani’s response 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,” he said.

“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.”

The president of the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, Vincent Vallelong, also decried the mayor’s response.

“You are now the leader of these officers, it’s time to show leadership not sarcasm,” he said.

The icy incident unfolded as a rowdy, hundreds-strong post-blizzard snowball fight erupted in Washington Square Park, prompting a concerned bystander to call 911, police sources said. The “3rd Annual Sidetalk Snowball Fight” appears to have been organized by the popular New York City-based Instagram show, Sidetalk, and was also advertised by other social media accounts.

“If you ain’t in New York, I feel bad for you,” a snowball fight attendee shouts in a boisterous video posted by Sidetalk showing twerking, massive snow chunks flying and goofballs tackling snowmen amid the chaos.

Two cops wandered into the avalanche of antics, responding to the bystander’s report of teens throwing snow off a comfort station’s rooftop, sources said.

Viral video showed the cops repeatedly get bombarded by powder in the snow-commotion. They can be seen shoving troublemakers into the snow, while the crowd continuously lobs clumps of flakes at them.

The cops called for backup, drawing multiple officers in vans, sources said. Those cops, too, had snowballs thrown at them – and additional video shows them retreating on a neighboring street, trailed by a crowd still hurling frozen powder blobs at them.

One officer suffered a possible contusion behind his eye, while another had a headache from getting hit in the back of the head, a law enforcement source said.

The pained pair of police officers were treated at a hospital, but not admitted, the source said.

Mamdani’s critics – including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-Mayor Eric Adams – quickly blamed him for the snowball brouhaha, arguing his past anti-cop rhetoric emboldened the brazen ball belters.

Gov. Kathy Hochul chimed in before Mamdani’s City Hall, issuing a brief statement after footage of the snowball saga started going viral.

“Our NYPD officers put themselves on the line to protect us every day. It is never acceptable to throw anything at a police officer, full stop,” she wrote.

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