26 taken into custody after Knicks watch party outside MSG
26 taken into custody after Knicks watch party outside MSG
26 taken into custody after Knicks watch party outside MSGDavid M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.comSat, June 6, 2026 at 7:18 PM UTC·2 min read
A Knicks watch party outside Madison Square Garden drew thousands of fans Friday night, but the celebration after New York’s Game 2 NBA Finals win on June 5 ended with 26 people taken into custody, including one accused of punching a police officer in the face, according to the NYPD.
The arrests began before the game, police said. Two people were taken into custody on assault charges before tipoff, and another person was arrested for climbing a light pole, according to information provided by the NYPD.
After the game, police said crowds blocked vehicle traffic along Seventh and Eighth avenues from West 31st Street to West 35th Street. People climbed onto food vendor carts, light poles and subway entrances, and multiple people refused police orders and resisted arrest, according to the department's statement.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: New York Knicks fans watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 05: New York Knicks fans celebrate the team's win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals outside of Madison Square Garden on June 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) (Angelina Katsanis, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: Spike Lee is driven through a crowd of New York Knicks supporters after their Game 2 win in the NBA Finals against San Antonio Spurs on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: New York Knicks fans celebrate their Game 2 NBA finals win against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: NYPD police officers try to break up a watch party as New York Knicks fans watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: A person cycles balancing a tire on their head as New York Knicks fans watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: A New York Knicks fan sits on their moped as they watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 05: Fans watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on a screen projected onto a bus by the West 4th Street Basketball Courts on June 5, 2026 in New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 05: New York Knicks fans celebrate the team's win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals outside of Madison Square Garden on June 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) (Angelina Katsanis, Getty Images)1 / 13
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: New York Knicks fans watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 05: New York Knicks fans celebrate the team's win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals outside of Madison Square Garden on June 05, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images) (Angelina Katsanis, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: Spike Lee is driven through a crowd of New York Knicks supporters after their Game 2 win in the NBA Finals against San Antonio Spurs on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: New York Knicks fans celebrate their Game 2 NBA finals win against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: NYPD police officers try to break up a watch party as New York Knicks fans watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: A person cycles balancing a tire on their head as New York Knicks fans watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 5: A New York Knicks fan sits on their moped as they watch their Game 2 NBA finals game against San Antonio Spurs at a bar on June 5, 2026 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
Knicks fans celebrate Game 2 in New York City
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 05: Fans watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on a screen projected onto a bus by the West 4th Street Basketball Courts on June 5, 2026 in New York City. New York Knicks fans are expected to fill the streets once again as they seek the franchise's first championship since 1973. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) (Adam Gray, Getty Images)
One person jumped over a barrier and refused to leave, then struck an officer in the face, police said. The officer suffered facial lacerations that required medical treatment, they added.
The New York City Police Benevolent Association identified the injured officer as a woman and said she was “just doing her job, trying to keep everyone safe in the pandemonium following the Knicks Game 2 win.”
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“A victory celebration shouldn’t end with blood pouring down a police officer’s face,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said in a statement. “This is completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.”
The same person also bit another officer after being placed under arrest, Hendry said.
Police said multiple people were also arrested for selling counterfeit merchandise near the arena. One of those people had a loaded firearm, according to the NYPD.
In all, 26 people were taken into custody. Seventeen were arrested and charged, while nine others were released with criminal court summonses for disorderly conduct, police said.
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The disorder followed earlier friction over playoff crowds outside the Garden. During the Eastern Conference Finals, the NYPD said it would no longer support outdoor watch parties after crowds blocked traffic, threw objects and climbed subway entrances. But the ban did not carry over to the NBA Finals, and fans again gathered outside MSG for Friday night’s Game 2.
Another large crowd could gather outside Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Monday, June 8. The Knicks return home riding a 13-game postseason winning streak and sitting two wins from their first championship since 1973.