Two New York City police officers landed in the emergency room Monday after being struck in the face and head with snowballs, ice, and rocks in Washington Square Park. The NYPD is now seeking arrests on assault charges. And the city's mayor responded by calling it a snowball fight.

Zohran Mamdani took to X after videos of the incident went viral, offering a response that managed to minimize the injuries, misidentify the assailants, and make himself the punchline all in one post.

"I've seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park."

He went on to praise officers for their work during the blizzard, then closed with a line that read more like a late-night monologue than a mayoral statement: "If anyone's catching a snowball, it's me."

The officers who caught something considerably worse than a snowball were unavailable for comment, being treated for head and face injuries at the time.

What actually happened in Washington Square Park

Police responded to Washington Square Park at about 4 p.m. Monday, where several individuals had climbed onto the roof of the park's restrooms and begun hurling projectiles at officers below, the Daily Mail reported. Journalist Brendan Gutenschwager captured the minute-long confrontation on camera. What the footage showed was not a snowball fight. It was a sustained barrage from an elevated position targeting uniformed officers.

Witness Rahul Nag, who was at the park, told ABC the scene began as something lighter before it spiraled.

"It wasn't supposed to be violent. It was, it started out as a very fun thing to do. And then, you know, it just escalated."

Even Nag's account, which was sympathetic to the participants, acknowledged that the situation turned ugly. He described it as "a back-and-forth thing between NYPD and those young kids." But PBA President Patrick Hendry offered a sharply different picture of who was actually involved.

"This was not just a 'snowball fight.' This was an assault, by adults throwing chunks of ice and rocks, that landed two police officers in the hospital with head and face injuries."

Adults. Ice. Rocks. Hospital. Not one of those words appeared in Mamdani's initial response.

The mayor's "kids" problem

On Tuesday, Mamdani held a press conference with the Office of Emergency Management to discuss Manhattan's blizzard and defend his response. He stuck with his framing.

"I can just tell you from the video I saw, it looked like kids at a snowball fight."

He praised officers for keeping New Yorkers safe, for digging out cars, for keeping ambulances and MTA buses running. He said the city's entire workforce "deserve to be treated with respect." Then he repeated his punchline: "The only person in our city's workforce who deserves to be hit with a snowball is me."

The pattern here is worth noting. Mamdani acknowledged the officers' broader service. He even used the word "respect." But he never acknowledged the injuries. Never called the incident an assault. Never used language that matched the severity of what actually happened to the two officers who went to the emergency room.

Commissioner Jessica Tisch did not share Mamdani's casual reading of events. Her post on X drew a firm line.

"I want to be very clear: The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal."

That's the city's police commissioner contradicting the mayor's framing in public, in real time. When your own commissioner has to correct the record on whether assaulting officers constitutes a crime, something has gone wrong at the top.

A message received loud and clear

The NYC Police Benevolent Association did not wait for the mayor to find his footing. The union called the incident "unacceptable and outrageous" and demanded action beyond words.

"All of our city leaders must speak up to condemn this despicable attack."

PBA President Patrick Hendry went further on Fox 5 News, calling Mamdani's response "a complete failure of leadership." His most pointed criticism targeted the message the mayor's dismissiveness sends to every officer on the street.

"By ignoring their injuries and dismissing the incident, the mayor has sent a disgraceful message to every police officer who serves this city."

He's right, and the message isn't subtle. When the mayor of New York City watches video of officers being pelted from a rooftop with ice and rocks, sees two of them sent to the hospital, and responds by calling the assailants "kids" having a "snowball fight," every officer in the five boroughs hears exactly what that means. It means your injuries are not serious. It means your safety is negotiable. It means the people who hurt you get the benefit of the doubt before you do.

Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly captured the reaction of many New Yorkers in three words directed at Mamdani's "kids" characterization: "NOT. IT. SIR."

No arrests, two suspects, one question

As of the latest reporting, no arrests have been made. The NYPD has released photos of two wanted suspects on its official X account and is urging anyone with information to contact @NYPDTips or call 800-577-TIPS.

The department is pursuing assault charges. That's the right call, and it stands in direct contrast to the mayor's instinct to soften and deflect.

This is a city where officers were working through a historic blizzard to keep residents safe, and the thanks they received was a barrage of ice from a rooftop. The mayor's job in that moment is straightforward: condemn the assault, back the officers, and demand accountability. Instead, Mamdani cracked a joke about catching snowballs himself.

New York's police officers didn't need a comedian on Tuesday. They needed a mayor. They're still waiting.