Knicks Fan Assaulted at Outdoor Watch Party Near Madison Square Garden

A 24-year-old Knicks fan was punched, kicked, and slashed multiple times across the face and neck during an outdoor watch party on May 19, police and law enforcement sources said Wednesday. m. at 7th Avenue and West 33rd Street while the victim watched the Knicks play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Four men and one woman, who did not know the victim, allegedly attacked him after tensions flared among spectators. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and listed in stable condition. The five suspects fled the scene and remained at large more than a week later.

Police later canceled Madison Square Garden’s usual outdoor watch party ahead of the Knicks’ series-clinching win on May 26. A police spokesperson said six arrests for disorderly conduct occurred at the prior gathering and that sidewalk congestion had become a recurring problem.

The department stated it would continue to review requests for events at alternate locations such as Central Park’s Summer Stage. Thousands of fans still gathered outside the arena on May 26 after the Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.

Six people received summonses that night for climbing light posts, blocking traffic, and refusing to disperse. Police asked anyone with information about the May 19 suspects to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.