When homemade bombs were lit in the middle of a crowded protest in New York City over the weekend, NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards said he had just one thought in mind as he leaped over a barricade: “Catch the bad guy.”
“You have that moment when you realize that, you know, this situation is way more serious than you might have imagined at the time,” Edwards said in an exclusive network television sit-down interview with CBS News.
Edwards and fellow NYPD officer Sgt. Luis Navarro were widely commended for their quick response to the March 7 incident, in which the devices were lit and thrown during clashing protests outside Gracie Mansion, the residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, by two men authorities say were inspired by ISIS.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, both of Pennsylvania, face a host of terrorism charges in what NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called “a planned attack motivated by extremist ideology and inspired by a violent foreign terrorist organization.”
As chaos erupted, the two officers sprang into action, rushing toward the suspect.
“In that moment, I didn’t think of anything. It was to me trying to save as many lives as possible,” Navarro said.
Earlier Wednesday, Navarro told a gaggle of local New York reporters that it was the most extreme situation he’s found himself in his 11 years with the NYPD.
“We’ve done counterterrorism training, active shooter training. Everything I’ve learned in my whole career culminated to that one moment,” Navarro said.
Photos of the brave officers have been widely circulated online, including one posted by the NYPD that shows Edwards’ heroic jump over the metal barrier. The post has racked up nearly 20 million views. Other social media users have since meme-ified the image, adding a cape, or using his silhouette in a mock-up of the “Bat-signal.”
“I am impressed that I cleared that barrier,” Edwards joked, adding that it was “pure adrenaline” that propelled him over.
The 46-year-old assistant chief said he was inspired to become a police officer after watching first responders rushing in to save people during the September 11 attacks. He has been with the NYPD for nearly 23 years and was promoted to Manhattan North borough chief in December.
“I was just laser focused trying to catch this guy and there was nothing gonna stand in my way,” Edwards said.
