NYPD officers hailed as heroes for chasing terror suspects near Gracie Mansion
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Two senior NYPD officers say it was their “gut instinct” that led them to smoldering IEDs during a suspected terrorist attack near Gracie Mansion last weekend.
NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro ran towards danger when 18-year-old Amir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayyumi allegedly threw explosives into the crowd. A photo that later went viral captured the moment Edwards broke through a police barricade in pursuit of one of the ISIS-inspired suspects.
“They say no two days are the same when you’re a cop, but this was like no other day,” Edwards told Fox News on Thursday. “We immediately started running toward this threat.”
Both officers joined the force following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Navarro said there was no time to think, only an effort to protect the public.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks alongside Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York City on Monday. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)
“I acted directly on instinct. There was nothing I could think about. There was no moment where I could just say wait, slow down time and wait and see what I got,” Navarro said.
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“As soon as it starts, I know I have to save as many people as possible,” he added.
The officers are hailed as heroes for their bravery. Former NYPD Chief John Chell joined “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, along with retired Lt. Joe Cardinale and Blue Lives Matter co-founder Joe Imperatrice, to praise the duo.
NYPD Bomb Squad officers are searching for a car that allegedly belonged to a man who tried to throw a homemade explosive at police officers in New York City on Sunday. (Ryan Murphy/Getty)
“Running toward IEDs is not normal, and chief, sergeant… [and] All these officers came together to save people, and it was a selfless act of bravery,” Chell said Thursday.
“They’re all heroes. And thank God, these IEDs didn’t explode because they would have lost their lives, and that’s what people need to understand.”
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Other officers teamed up to subdue and apprehend the couple before the devices exploded. Their actions helped secure the area and detain the suspects before anyone was injured.
“This is a great look for the NYPD. It’s a good thing for recruiting,” Cardinale said of the officers.
A suspect involved in a terrorist organization is on the run after allegedly throwing explosives. (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York)
“We hope it inspires others to get out there, too. That’s what business needs right now. They need heroes like this.”
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Incidents like attempted bombings highlight the daily risks officers face, even if they don’t end in tragedy, Imperatrice said.
“People don’t realize that at the end of the day, this is one of the most dangerous jobs and when police officers leave their homes, they may not come home. So we don’t need an incident like this to be on the news for us to start respecting our officers, which should happen every day.”
