NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Eleven protesters were taken into custody in Times Square on Saturday afternoon after swarming police responding to a bomb threat in the area, officials said.
The blockage happened at around 4 p.m. on Saturday near 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue when an Uber driver discovered a grenade in the back seat of the car. The bomb squad later determined that the grenade was a fake.
The 911 dispatcher who received the call told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 that there was limited information when he passed the report on to police.
“I said the person said they found a bomb in the backseat of their car, that’s all the information we had, just that it was a gray and green item made of metal,” he said.
As authorities attempted to respond, pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed responding vehicles. Police were seen in riot gear trying to move demonstrators along and called for more backup to help clear the area.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted video of the blockage on X, as well as audio of the police response.
“Happy Saturday to all! Except the people who thought it was a good idea to block an NYPD ESU vehicle on the way to a bomb threat call. They will be spending their Saturday where they belong - in jail!,” Daughtry wrote in his initial post regarding the incident.
Eleven protesters were arrested, and those arrested were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of government administration, police said.
Officials said that one of those arrested was charged with an additional charge of resisting arrest, while another person’s arrest was voided.
Other NYPD officials—including Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell and Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey—joined Daughtry in acknowledging the danger of blocking emergency response.
In his post, Kemper highlighted the illegal nature of preventing an emergency vehicle from passing.
“Blocking a street, preventing an emergency vehicle from passing is super reckless, extremely dangerous, and illegal,” Kemper wrote. “Those who do so endanger people’s safety & lives. Appropriate accountability & consequences is a critical deterrent — setting the tone that this is unacceptable.”