By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The NYPD arrested 63 people early Sunday, June 14, 2026, following large-scale unrest in Midtown Manhattan after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship Saturday night, June 13.
- A 17-year-old boy was shot in the foot near West 42nd Street and Broadway shortly after 2 a.m.; he was transported to Bellevue Hospital by an NYPD vehicle after the crowd prevented ambulance access, and three people were taken into custody for questioning after police recovered a firearm.
- The NYPD reported four people shot or stabbed during the unrest and 10 officers attacked, including one punched in the face and another struck with a glass bottle; five NYPD vehicles were damaged.
- Crowds damaged at least five of eight yellow school buses being used to transport FIFA World Cup fans to MetLife Stadium, including one bus parked in Times Square that was set on fire.
- The unrest followed a similar incident after Wednesday’s Game 4, in which 56 people were arrested and 10 officers were injured; a separate, unrelated assault left a 17-year-old boy in a coma near Madison Square Garden following that earlier game, and the attacker remains at large.
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The New York Police Department arrested 63 people early Sunday following hours of unrest in Midtown Manhattan after the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night to win the NBA championship, with officials reporting four people shot or stabbed and 10 officers attacked during the disturbances.
According to the NYPD, crowds numbering in the thousands gathered in the area surrounding Madison Square Garden, where police had established a security perimeter for fans watching the game on large outdoor screens. Following the Knicks’ win, large groups moved through Midtown West, climbing scaffolding, traffic signals, and a moving fire truck, and causing damage to multiple police and fire department vehicles, according to police and witness accounts.
The most serious incident occurred shortly after 2 a.m. near West 42nd Street and Broadway, where a 17-year-old boy was shot in the foot. Police said the surrounding crowd made it impossible for an ambulance to reach the area, and the teen was instead transported to Bellevue Hospital in an NYPD vehicle. Three individuals were taken into custody for questioning in connection with the shooting, and officers recovered a firearm at the scene.
Separately, beginning around 12:15 a.m., large groups of fans gathered around a group of eight yellow school buses parked at West 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue. The buses had been used earlier that day to transport FIFA World Cup fans to MetLife Stadium, as 42nd Street had been closed to regular traffic. Police said crowds climbed onto and inside the buses, and that officers repeatedly cleared people off the vehicles but were unable to make arrests due to being significantly outnumbered. At approximately 2 a.m., a group attempted to tip over one of the buses; officers intervened before it could be overturned, though the vehicle’s hood was torn off in the process. According to police, five of the eight buses sustained damage from bats or fire, including one bus in Times Square that was set ablaze.
The NYPD reported that 10 officers were attacked during the unrest, including one who was punched in the face and another who was struck with a glass bottle. Officers also reported that five NYPD vehicles were damaged after being struck with bats or climbed on by members of the crowd. Charges against those arrested include assault on a police officer, weapon possession, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstruction of governmental administration, according to police. One of those arrested, identified by police as 28-year-old Andrew Okinyi, was taken into custody on West 33rd Street and Ninth Avenue on a charge of assault on an officer.
Sunday’s unrest followed a similar pattern of disorder after the Knicks’ Game 4 victory the previous Wednesday, when police said crowds north of Madison Square Garden grew to approximately 10,000 people and “became increasingly destructive.” That night, the NYPD arrested 56 people in the area between Fifth and Eighth Avenues, and 10 officers were reported injured, including one struck by a thrown bottle. In a separate incident that same night, a 17-year-old boy was beaten into a coma near West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue by an assailant wearing a referee-style jersey; that attacker has not been apprehended, according to police. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had urged fans ahead of Saturday’s game to celebrate responsibly. The investigation into Sunday’s shooting and the broader unrest remains ongoing.