Thousands of jubilant fans flooded Midtown Manhattan late Saturday after the New York Knicks secured the NBA championship, but the victory celebrations devolved into chaotic scenes that included a bus set ablaze and a teenager shot during the mayhem.
The chants began as supporters poured from packed bars and outdoor viewing areas, shouting "Knicks in five!" to mark the team’s win in the fifth game of the final series. Fans set off fireworks and deployed smoke grenades across streets near Madison Square Garden as crowds swelled.
At about 2 a.m., a 17-year-old was shot in the foot while festivities were underway in Times Square, a New York police officer said. Three persons of interest were taken into custody in connection with the shooting, the officer added.
As celebrations continued, several hundred, largely young people converged on a line of roughly 15 shuttle buses in Times Square that had transported soccer supporters to the first World Cup match held in the New York City area - the Brazil versus Morocco game, which finished in a draw earlier in the night. Witnesses describe people climbing onto bus roofs, entering cabins and occupying drivers' seats.
One of the yellow school buses leased by the city to move soccer fans was later seen engulfed in flames, according to a Reuters video journalist at the scene. It remained unclear whether anyone was hurt in that specific incident. Video and eyewitness accounts indicated at least three additional shuttle buses suffered significant damage as crowds pushed against and climbed on the vehicles.
Onlookers reported a bicycle hoisted onto the roof of another bus, and supporters waving the Brazilian national flag joined Knicks fans on a different bus roof. A man with a bleeding face worked his way through the throng, although reporters could not determine how he was injured.
"They are expressing their happiness, a little bit violently, but it is what it is," said Youssef Sabbr, 49, a Canadian of Moroccan descent who had exited one of the World Cup buses before it was surrounded. "That’s what happens everywhere around the world when a team wins," he added.
Authorities moved to reestablish control after roughly two hours of intense crowding. Police erected temporary fences on several streets and, following an extended period of holding back, officers in riot gear advanced and chased pockets of fans down various avenues. Mounted police were deployed to push back crowds and clear roads around Madison Square Garden, the Knicks’ home arena.
"Oh my God. It’s like New Year’s Eve times twenty," said Carol Marino, a New York real estate agent in her 50s, as she paused on a sidewalk after watching the game at a bar.
Across the city scene, some revelers hugged, beat drums and climbed scaffolding and traffic lights in displays of exuberance. Dean and Christina Smiros, a New York couple who said they had been Knicks fans their whole lives, celebrated the team’s triumph, noting the title had not been won since before they were born.
The victory marked the Knicks’ first NBA championship since 1973. It was only the franchise’s third finals appearance, following previous finals runs in 1994 and 1999 where they fell to the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs respectively - the latter franchise being the team New York defeated on Saturday night to claim the title.
The scenes blended elements of sporting jubilation with public safety and transportation disruption, as celebratory gatherings spilled into one of Manhattan’s busiest districts late into the night. City officials and law enforcement monitored the aftermath as damaged vehicles and the injured were accounted for.