NYPD: Homemade devices thrown at protest outside Gracie Mansion, six arrested

The New York Police Department said two smoking homemade devices were thrown during clashes outside Gracie Mansion, prompting a bomb squad response, a security perimeter and six arrests, though there were no reported injuries. The incident, which occurred during daylight on Saturday, March 7, forced police to sweep adjacent blocks and search for additional hazards while the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force joined the investigation.

The protest was organized by far-right activist Jake Lang under the banner "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City" and drew about 20 supporters, according to reporting. It was met by roughly 120 to 125 counterprotesters at the Upper East Side residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Tensions escalated into scuffles, eggs thrown, and at least one member of Lang’s group deploying pepper spray, authorities said.

The devices, examined by the NYPD Bomb Squad, were preliminarily described by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch as, "slightly smaller than a football and appeared to be a jar wrapped in black tape containing bolts, screws and a hobby fuse." Tisch said investigators had not yet determined whether the objects were functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices and that analysis would assess whether energetic material was present. One of the projectiles landed on East 87th Street and was seen burning briefly before extinguishing a few feet from police officers, according to eyewitness accounts.

Two people were arrested in direct connection with the thrown devices, and ABC News reported the suspects were 18 and 19 years old. Mayor’s staff said the mayor and his wife Rama Duwaji were safe, and Joe Calvello, the mayor’s spokesperson, called the Lang-organized demonstration "despicable and Islamophobic." Calvello, quoted by ABC, also described Lang as a "vile white supremacist" and said the episode "are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly." Commissioner Tisch said she did not believe the mayor was at home at the time.

Authorities placed six people under arrest in all: the two suspects tied to the devices, one person connected to the pepper-spray incident, and three others detained for disorderly conduct or obstructing traffic. No formal charging information had been released at the time of reporting. Video and photos from the scene circulated on social media and in press feeds; one embedded tweet from user Oliya Scootercaster @ScooterCasterNY read, "WATCH: Suspect seen lighting Home made smoke bomb after Molotov cocktail thrown at Anti-Muslim protest as suspect shouts Allahu Akbar while getting arrested #nyc Gracie Mansion." News organizations cited the clip but did not uniformly verify every element of the social media account.

Beyond the immediate danger of incendiary devices, the episode highlights a widening public safety and public health concern for neighborhoods and officials targeted by politically motivated demonstrations. The mayor’s office framed the rally as an explicit attack on a religious community during Ramadan and as part of a pattern of threats against the first Muslim mayor. Community leaders and witnesses expressed alarm that a small group of organized provocateurs could draw large counters in a way that increased the risk of violence and trauma for residents, office staff and passersby.

Investigators will analyze the devices to determine composition and functionality, and prosecutors will decide on formal charges as evidence is reviewed. The presence of the FBI task force and the bomb squad underscores the seriousness with which law enforcement is treating the incident and raises questions about how city policy will address the intersection of protected protest, targeted hate, and public safety going forward.