A 17-year-old boy was briefly in a coma after he was assaulted Wednesday night near Madison Square Garden as fans gathered following a Knicks win, NYPD officials said.
Police said the incident happened around 11:45 p.m. in front of a building on West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue in Midtown — just two blocks from the arena where the Knicks had just won Game 4.
The fight began outside a bar as a group of Knicks fans spilled onto the sidewalk to cheer the victory, police said. A social media video reviewed by Gothamist shows a group of people became agitated after one person yelled “Spurs in 7” in the midst of the celebration.
Multiple physical fights ensued in a chaotic scene where it appeared Knicks fans were sparring amongst themselves, as onlookers reminded the combatants they were rooting for the same team.
It’s not immediately clear from the video who the teenage victim was. Police said he suffered a seizure after he was repeatedly punched and kicked in his head and body. Gothamist is not sharing the footage due to the presence of minors.
First responders took the teen to Bellevue Hospital, where he was unconscious at first with fluid in his lungs. He has since woken up and is expected to survive.
More than 10,000 fans stormed the area around Madison Square Garden after the Knicks’ nail-biting Game 4 win, police said, even though the official watch party outside the arena was canceled.
Many of them became rowdy and destructive, shutting down streets, jumping on occupied vehicles, damaging police cars and taxis, and throwing objects at police and into the crowd, according to the NYPD. More than 50 people were taken into custody and charged with various offenses.
Law enforcement officials did not immediately identify the injured teen, but said he lives in Connecticut.
Police said they are looking for a group of potential suspects, but are focusing their investigation on the person who allegedly yelled “Spurs in 7” and instigated the dispute.
This story has been updated with new information.
