Dominican Day Parade Delights Many Before Route Crashing Rowdies Ruin It for All

Hundreds of thousands of red, white and blue adorned spectators and participant crowded 6th Avenue from the 30s to Central Park for the 42nd Dominican Day Parade Sunday August 11. The weather approaching the event was a pleasant, with temperatures in the low 80s, not too humid, with overcast skies clearing to bright, sunny skies by early afternoon.

Unlike many Manhattan parades since last autumn, there were no pro-Palestinian protesters present, though opposing feelings about the 2024 Presidential campaign were evident. While the Building Workers Union 32BJ float was adorned with a Harris–Walz banner, other individual Dominicans both on and adjacent the parade route were boisterous Trump–Vance fans.

Although we didn’t know it at the time, some strange scenes in the hour before the parade’s official 1 p.m. start suggested the event’s premature and ignominious ending, in which the ebullience of the many was ruined by the rowdiness of a relative few, with NYPD shutting the parade down around 4 p.m.

The routes most taken by most major Manhattan parades—and the Dominican Day event is certainly among those—range from secure to very secure, sometimes even annoyingly so, for unprepared spectators, in the cases of the Thanksgiving and Israeli Day events, where just getting into and out of the viewing areas can be difficult. Ultimately, it’s not a huge deal: people understand the security concerns and nobody goes to a big Manhattan parade expecting to just waltz—or merengue—around.

So, it was surprising, if not then alarming, that much of Dominican Parade route seemed to remain open longer than other similar events. Which is to say, even as the line of march was assembling in the lower 30s off of 6th Avenue, a motley assortment of cars, cabs, bicycles, delivery scooters and the occasional event-related vehicle were still driving up 6th Avenue as late as 12:45.

On the northwest corner of 6th Avenue and 39th Street, where Straus News was ensconced behind a PIX 11 camera stand, numerous delivery e-bikes, mopeds and scooters got onto the route seemingly unconcerned with the giant event to soon envelope them. Typically, too, even those delivery drivers just trying to get across 6th Avenue as quickly as possible showed little regard for police or pedestrians.

But ok, maybe this was the plan: to impede traffic as little as possible now to make up for the full closure later. Oddly, as that full closure approached, a number of black-tinted SUVs came down—north to south— 6th Avenue and discharged this or that parade dignitary, as did the contingent of NYPD mounted cops, and the florescent yellow shirt-wearing, shovel-carrying Department of Sanitation manure crew which follows them.

Unusual as all this seemed, that’s all it was: odd, not alarming, and among the cops at this intersection was First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, so it’s not as if things were left to chance.

At about 1 p.m., the parade got moving, though from a fixed vantage point, one heard the progress before they actually saw it. Here came the horses again to loud cheers, and with bellowing of a bullhorn and loud, fast paced music, here came Gov. Kathy Hochul’s float and, on foot, the governor herself, accompanied by various supporters and a phalanx of flag waving Dominicans.

Among the notable Dominican-raised political figures present were Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar.

Not long after Hochul passed 39th Street, dozens of mostly young people, and mostly males, rushed past the lightly secured barriers and onto the parade route and headed north behind the Governor.

Cops on the scene were momentarily stunned, then in a flurry of activity, moved to block the cross street with blue tape, more barriers and their own bodies. One late arriving, speedy but not speedy enough would-be parade jumper ran straight into the waiting arms and chest of a tall, muscular Black police officer who tackled his opponent so skillfully one wouldn’t be surprised to learn he was a former football player.

When the cop released his opponent with a firm shove, the youth, his face and slit eyebrows tight with anger, briefly challenged the officer before thinking better of it and retreating back down 39th Street.

Some of the successful parade jumpers, meanwhile, started to return back down 6th Avenue and return to the crowd, after which the incident seemed over if forgotten.

Sen. Charles Schumer, who loves to work the bullhorn microphone while an aide walks beside him carries the bullhorn itself, was the next dignitary to arrive, followed by the Eric Adams truck with the banner “Getting Stuff Done For New Yorkers” affixed on its side.

The Dominican flag-waving Mayor followed on foot with a large contingent of NYPD and Dominican supporters surrounding him. Among the cops, Chief of Patrol John Chell walked slightly ahead of the Mayoral phalanx, while Deputy Commissioner Kinsella strode in line directly to Hizzoner’s left.

Among the other highlights were the variety of bright costumes and dances reflecting the diverse Afro-Caribbean heritage of the Dominican Republic; the marchers of the New York Dominican Offices Association; the smiling, well-muscled men and women of Dominican Runners, a Washington Heights-based Dominican running club.

Unfortunately, all these good spirits and more were brought to a halt when large crowds of mostly young people burst onto the parade route at 46th Street. Unlike the earlier security breach at 39th Street, this one couldn’t be quickly contained, and NYPD made the decision to shut the parade down.

One photo published in the New York Post showing a young man guzzling Epolon brand Tequila Blanco (100% Puro Agave) likely explains a major cause of such raucousness, including a 20-year-old who slashed a 65-year-old man with a knife in Times Square.

According to NYPD, 20-year-old Joshua Cantero climbed on top of the victim’s car at West 45 Street and 8th Avenue. The 65-year-old driver told Cantero to get off his vehicle, after which Cantero “started swinging a knife,” causing lacerations to the left side of his victim’s face, left ear and right hand. Cantero is also alleged to have smashed the vehicle’s driver side window.

EMS responded and brought the victim to Mount Sinai West Hospital in stable condition, while Cantero, who gave his address as 695 5th Avenue in Manhattan, was arrested and charged with Assault, Criminal Mischief, Resisting Arrest, Obstruction of Governmental Administration and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.