&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump at MSG forces watch party shutdown — Penn Station stabbing adds to NYC's security concern")
As part of enhanced security measures for President Donald Trump's attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday (Jun 8), the NYPD announced there would be no watch party outside Madison Square Garden. The decision made in coordination with the Secret Service which is responsible for Trump's safety. The Knicks also warned fans to bring as little as possible and arrive at least two hours before tipoff, with a strict no-bag policy and TSA-style screening in place. Then, less than 24 hours before Game 3, the area got even more tense with six people being stabbed inside Penn Station on Sunday (Jun 7) evening. The sprawling transit hub sits directly beneath Madison Square Garden and is often the venue of NY's biggest sporting moments.
Why was the Knicks watch party canceled?
The decision to deny the outdoor watch party, according to the NYPD, was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit.
After Game 2 on Friday (Jun 5), when the Knicks survived a dramatic 105-104 finish to take a 2-0 series lead, the scenes outside MSG turned chaotic. More than 6,500 people had gathered for the watch party, but 26 were ultimately taken into custody for the chaos which followed. One woman, 29-year-old Karely Reyes of Queens, was charged with assault, resisting arrest, and obstruction after allegedly punching an officer in the face.
With Trump set to attend Game 3, the chaos could very well be the reason for the party to be called off.
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How does it affect the FIFA World Cup plans?
The violence erupted as New York prepared for one of its biggest sports events in decades - the FIFA World Cup while the Monday's game will be the first NBA Finals match at MSG since 1999. New York is one of the key host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches at MetLife Stadium across the river in New Jersey drawing the largest global audience of any venue in the tournament. The Penn Station stabbing, the Game 2 disorder, and the extraordinary security apparatus required for a single presidential visit are all stress tests for a city that will need to manage far larger crowds, far more frequently, over the next three weeks. Authorities did not indicate whether the Penn Station stabbing would affect security plans for Game 3.
