The wheels came off during scenes of violent mayhem that followed the Knicks’ first NBA championship in more than half a century, with rowdies vandalizing MTA buses and torching shuttles used to ferry soccer fans to World Cup games, authorities said Sunday.
The ruckus that resulted in more than 60 arrests, a shooting and four stabbings broke out on Midtown blocks near Madison Square Garden as the Knicks won the NBA Finals nearly 2,000 miles away in Texas by finishing off the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
The rented school buses had been lined up along 42nd Street, which is being used as a bus-only passageway on World Cup match days for travel to NYNJ Stadium.
The violence flared up after the temporarily renamed stadium, usually known as MetLife, played host to its first match, between Brazil and Morocco earlier in the day. The NYPD said five of the buses were destroyed by being lit on fire, stomped on or being bashed with baseball bats.
Clips posted to social media by FreedomNews.TV show a bus driver pleading “That’s coming out of my check!” at people who slammed the front of a school bus with everything from metal scooters to a stop sign before ripping off its hood.
Another clip from the news service shows firefighters turning their hoses onto a World Cup shuttle bus that was engulfed in flames.
“While we recognize the excitement and pride surrounding the city’s celebration, the vandalism and destruction of property that occurred is unacceptable,” a spokesperson for the NYNJ Host Committee told The City Reporter. “We are grateful that none of our drivers were harmed and commend them for their professionalism throughout these acts of vandalism.”
That was followed by what the MTA said was more than a dozen city buses having their windows, doors and mirrors vandalized, with some tagged with graffiti.
Police remove fans from a school bus as New York Knicks fans celebrate after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA Finals, early Sunday, June 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Credit: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki
One video clip that was widely circulated on social media showed people in Knicks ballcaps and jerseys kicking in the door at the front of an M42 bus at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue — with the bus operator at the wheel.
While the NYPD flagged the “increasingly destructive” through “incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the “vast majority” of New Yorkers “celebrated responsibly and appropriately.”
“There were a few incidents that we saw where people behaved in an unacceptable manner,” Mamdani said Sunday during a WFAN Sports Radio radio appearance. “This is not the kind of conduct we want to see in our city.”
“And I’ve said time and again that as we want New York to celebrate, to do so responsibly is critical because there’s no tolerance for violence.”
The NYPD said a 17-year-old who was shot in Times Square had to be taken to a hospital by police since an ambulance could not cross 43rd Street once it was taken over by crowds. A spokesperson said three people of interest were in custody and that a firearm was recovered following the shooting at 43rd Street and Broadway.
In addition, police said there were multiple slashings or stabbings, along with people who tossed fireworks into crowds and scaled traffic lights and light poles.
Mamdani praised the NYPD’s response to the outbursts, thanking police during an appearance on ABC for “keeping New Yorkers safe over the course of this Finals run.”
In its statement, the NYNJ Host Committee said no passengers were aboard the buses that were torched and said the destruction will have “no impact on transportation services for our remaining FIFA World Cup 2026 matches or fan events.”
“Our focus remains on delivering a safe, reliable, and welcoming transportation experience for the thousands of fans, visitors and residents who will be traveling to NYNJ Stadium.”
The chaos that followed Game Five mirrored some of what followed the Knicks’ Game Four win at Madison Square Garden, when police took 56 people into custody while making 15 arrests.
The aftermath of the previous NBA Finals game included revelers blocking streets, jumping on moving vehicles, tossing glass bottles and stomping on a taxi.
Cabbie Nouredine Bitat, who was yanked out of cab after Wednesday’s Game Four while the vehicle was stopped at 36th Street and Seventh Avenue, told The City Reporter Friday that his wife in Algeria was in tears when she saw footage of him standing by the trashed taxi.
“No one tried to stop it,” Bitat said tearfully. ““I was surprised, I was shocked, I couldn’t understand what was happening.”
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