Amid jittery global events, NYPD readies for Thanksgiving Day parade with no credible threats
An NYPD K-9 unit on patrol Wednesday in Manhattan ahead of Thursday's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Credit: Olivia Falcigno
Hours after an explosion Wednesday on a bridge straddling the United States and Canadian border spurred terrorism concerns, officials in New York City said there had been no credible or specific security threats aimed at the city that would disrupt Thursday's Thanksgiving Day parade and other holiday festivities.
Mayor Eric Adams and other officials said regardless, the city is already at a heightened state of alert because of the Israel-Hamas war.
Adams said the Wednesday vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing at Niagara Falls, in which two people died, had so far revealed no connection to the city. The FBI and Canadian authorities are continuing to investigate.
“The NYPD and our team have been closely monitoring the situation … and we don’t see any nexus between the incident there and New York City,” Adams said at an outdoor news conference with other officials near Central Park.
The mayor said cops — conscious of internet chatter about the war and concerns about potential terrorism — will be out in force along the parade route, some visible in their dress blues, others in plainclothes to blend in with an in-person audience that typically tops three million.
Macy’s chief executive officer, Jeff Gennette, who will soon be retiring from the department store chain, said the procession will last about 3 ½ hours.
The pre-parade news conference is a traditional prelude to the inflation of myriad balloons at Central Park, to the delight of local families and tourists alike. But the unstable international situation and the upstate bridge explosion put security concerns front and center, officials said.
“There are no credible or specific threats to New York City or tomorrow’s parade at this time,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. “There will be security measures you see, like officers on post on and around the parade route, and other measures you won’t see.”
The incident on the upstate bridge has not changed any security plans surrounding the parade, Caban noted. A couple of NYPD officers were sent to the Rainbow Bridge scene to assist and gather information.
Deputy NYPD Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, who heads the department’s counterterrorism and intelligence operations, said since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in early October, there have been more than 400 protests in the city, the majority of which have been peaceful.
“We are going to make sure they stay that way,” Weiner said about any possible protests.
Added the mayor: “We are not going to tolerate any disruption."
Hours after an explosion Wednesday on a bridge straddling the United States and Canadian border spurred terrorism concerns, officials in New York City said there had been no credible or specific security threats aimed at the city that would disrupt Thursday's Thanksgiving Day parade and other holiday festivities.
Mayor Eric Adams and other officials said regardless, the city is already at a heightened state of alert because of the Israel-Hamas war.
Adams said the Wednesday vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing at Niagara Falls, in which two people died, had so far revealed no connection to the city. The FBI and Canadian authorities are continuing to investigate.
“The NYPD and our team have been closely monitoring the situation … and we don’t see any nexus between the incident there and New York City,” Adams said at an outdoor news conference with other officials near Central Park.
The mayor said cops — conscious of internet chatter about the war and concerns about potential terrorism — will be out in force along the parade route, some visible in their dress blues, others in plainclothes to blend in with an in-person audience that typically tops three million.
Macy’s chief executive officer, Jeff Gennette, who will soon be retiring from the department store chain, said the procession will last about 3 ½ hours.
The pre-parade news conference is a traditional prelude to the inflation of myriad balloons at Central Park, to the delight of local families and tourists alike. But the unstable international situation and the upstate bridge explosion put security concerns front and center, officials said.
“There are no credible or specific threats to New York City or tomorrow’s parade at this time,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. “There will be security measures you see, like officers on post on and around the parade route, and other measures you won’t see.”
The incident on the upstate bridge has not changed any security plans surrounding the parade, Caban noted. A couple of NYPD officers were sent to the Rainbow Bridge scene to assist and gather information.
Deputy NYPD Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, who heads the department’s counterterrorism and intelligence operations, said since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in early October, there have been more than 400 protests in the city, the majority of which have been peaceful.
“We are going to make sure they stay that way,” Weiner said about any possible protests.
Added the mayor: “We are not going to tolerate any disruption."
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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