Late Saturday night in Midtown Manhattan, celebrations over the New York Knicks’ first NBA championship since 1973 spiraled into violence and chaos. As thousands of fans flooded the streets following the team’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, disorderly scenes unfolded near Times Square and around Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks’ title came after nearly five decades without a championship and marked only their third finals appearance, with previous losses to the Houston Rockets in 1994 and the Spurs in 1999. Jubilant fans chanted “Knicks in five!” and set off fireworks and smoke grenades outside packed bars and outdoor venues. However, the festivities took a dangerous turn in the early morning hours.

At approximately 2 a.m., a 17-year-old was shot in the foot in Times Square, according to New York Police Department officials. Three individuals were taken into custody in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, hundreds of mostly young people swarmed a convoy of around 15 shuttle buses that had been transporting soccer fans to and from a nearby World Cup match between Brazil and Morocco, which had ended in a draw earlier in the evening.

Amid the crowd, some climbed onto and inside the buses, with several sitting in drivers’ seats. One city-hired yellow school bus was set ablaze during the melee, a video journalist at the scene reported. Additional buses sustained significant damage, and a bicycle was hoisted onto the roof of another vehicle. Supporters of both the Knicks and the Brazilian soccer team gathered on the bus roofs, waving national flags. A man with a bleeding face was later seen moving through the crowd, though the cause of his injury was not immediately known.

Witnesses described the actions as exuberant but volatile expressions of joy. One spectator, Youssef Sabbr, a 49-year-old Canadian of Moroccan descent who had been aboard one of the World Cup shuttle buses, remarked that such scenes of noisy, sometimes violent celebration are common globally when teams win major titles.

In response, police established street barricades and maintained a holding pattern for nearly two hours before deploying officers in riot gear. Mounted police charged into crowds, pushing fans away from the vicinity of Madison Square Garden. The authorities worked to restore order after the celebrations escalated into confrontations.

The Knicks’ championship victory ignited widespread euphoria among fans but also highlighted challenges in managing large spontaneous gatherings in the city amid multiple large-scale events occurring simultaneously.