NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced criticism Tuesday after videos showed a crowd attacking NYPD officers with snowballs in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park during Monday’s blizzard.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-Mayor Eric Adams blamed Mamdani’s past anti-police rhetoric for creating a permissive environment. “Words have consequences,” Cuomo said, urging the mayor to denounce the attack. Adams called the behavior “disgusting” and criticized politicians who “constantly bash the police.”

The snowball fight, which began as a large gathering of revelers, quickly turned chaotic, with some participants hurling large chunks of ice at officers. Police vehicles were targeted, forcing officers to retreat.

Snow thrown at an NYPD vehicle near Washington Square Park pic.twitter.com/XJnxgHkHwa

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) February 23, 2026

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said detectives are investigating the incidents. Cop unions called for arrests, with the Police Benevolent Association describing the attacks as “unacceptable and outrageous” and the Detectives’ Endowment Association labeling them “deliberate, outrageous, and dangerous.”

So far, Mamdani has not publicly commented on the incident.

NYPD officers getting hit with snowballs in Washington Square Park this afternoon pic.twitter.com/uUekDVmIGT

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) February 23, 2026

This is disgraceful.

But with a mayor who has a history of calling the police “racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,” he set the tone.

Words have consequences. We are seeing that in the growing disrespect for law enforcement — just as we’ve seen it in the rise in antisemitism.… https://t.co/jCGZiK46kI

— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) February 24, 2026

Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious. It is disgusting behavior.

And the politicians who constantly bash the police and refuse to have their backs are setting a terrible example.… https://t.co/JOcBfuGpfK

— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) February 24, 2026