Celebrations following the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals Game 4 victory spiraled into chaos on Wednesday night as thousands of fans flooded the streets around Madison Square Garden, resulting in dozens of detentions, multiple arrests and injuries to police officers.
According to the NYPD, 56 people were taken into custody after nearly 10,000 fans gathered near Madison Square Garden following the Knicks’ stunning one-point comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Police said the incidents led to 15 arrests and 41 summonses. Authorities also confirmed that 10 NYPD officers were injured during the unrest, including one officer who was reportedly struck in the head with a bottle.
The Knicks secured a dramatic 107-106 victory after overcoming a 29-point deficit in the first quarter, sending fans across New York City into celebration mode.
Videos capture chaotic scenes outside MSG
Videos and photos circulating online showed crowds pouring into Midtown Manhattan as celebrations escalated outside Madison Square Garden.
Footage showed fans climbing street poles, standing on top of vehicles and damaging property near the arena.
One video appeared to show a group of people jumping on a yellow taxi and smashing its windshield while crowds cheered nearby. Other clips captured NYPD officers making arrests in the middle of packed streets as fans surrounded police personnel.
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Additional footage reportedly showed firecrackers exploding, bicycles being vandalised and mounted NYPD officers attempting to disperse crowds on horseback.
The chaos unfolded despite the cancellation of an official Knicks watch party that had originally been planned outside Madison Square Garden before the game.
Wednesday night was not the first time Knicks playoff celebrations resulted in police action. Multiple arrests were also reported during NBA Finals watch parties for Games 2 and 3 outside Madison Square Garden and at Bryant Park.
Watch party cancellation
The cancellation of the watch party triggered a public dispute between New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan.
Hours before tip-off, Mamdani announced that the event at Plaza33 had been canceled despite the city approving a permit for up to 999 attendees. “MSG requested a permit for a watch party for 500-999 fans,” Mamdani wrote on X. “We approved that permit for 999 fans.”
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He added that Dolan later chose to cancel the event, saying the decision was “breaking hearts across our city.”
Dolan, however, blamed city officials and crowd restrictions for the cancellation during an appearance on WFAN’s The Carton Show. “We’re not even putting up the screens,” Dolan said. “We’re not about 999 people. We’re about millions of people.”
He argued that limiting the event to under 1,000 attendees would have forced thousands of Knicks fans to be turned away.
