Nicks’ First NBA Title in 53 Years Sparks Chaos Across Manhattan

Thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Sunday morning after the team won its first NBA championship in 53 years, beating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the finals. What began as mass celebrations around Madison Square Garden and toward Times Square quickly turned into scenes of disorder, with vandalism, clashes with police, arrests, fires and reports of gunfire.

Police said fans damaged and set fire to public buses, including vehicles from the city transit authority and school buses. In one widely shared video, people climbed onto a police cruiser, jumped on its roof and smashed the windshield. Onlookers also saw a shirtless man tear off part of an engine grille, throw it into the street and then watch the bus catch fire.

A shooting was reported in Times Square during the chaos, apparently without injuries, and one suspect was arrested. The man was later seen handcuffed and taken away, though he was subsequently released and told to move to the sidewalk. In an unusual episode, a Spurs fan climbed into a police vehicle to try to escape a crowd of Knicks supporters surrounding it.

As the unrest spread, hundreds of officers in riot gear were sent in to clear the area around West 31st Street, making several arrests and forcing people to the ground. Mounted police were also deployed at key intersections. One officer told the New York Post that in 20 years of service he had never had to wear riot gear, adding that such a level of protection had not been needed on city streets since the COVID-19 pandemic. More celebrations were also reported near Bryant Park, where smoke and flares were seen and fires were set near the park.