NYPD Says Device Thrown by Counterprotesters Near Mayor Mamdani’s Home Was an IED

The incident occurred on March 7 as an anti-Islam protester pepper-sprayed counterprotesters, two of whom responded with explosive devices, police say.

Law enforcement officers respond to Manhattan's Upper East Side as New York City's police said they identified a "suspicious device in a vehicle” on March 8, 2026. Joseph B. Frederick/AP Photo

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said on March 8 that an improvised explosive device (IED) was ignited and thrown by counterprotesters outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence over the weekend.

The incident occurred on March 7 as about 20 people, protesting what they called an Islamic “takeover” of the city, were confronted by about 125 counterprotesters near Gracie Mansion, where Mamdani and his wife reside. Police officers attempted to keep the two protests separate by designating two different areas, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference.