An anti-Islam protest organized by right-wing influencer and pardoned January 6 rioter Jake Lang drew roughly 20 participants, while a counter-protest called “Drive the Nazis Out of New York” peaked at about 125 people

The two groups were separated into designated protest areas by NYPD officers, but tensions escalated shortly before noon. At around 12:15 p.m., a protester associated with Lang’s group used pepper spray against counterprotesters

About 20 minutes later, an 18-year-old counterprotester “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area,” which landed on a crosswalk

The man then ran southbound to retrieve a second device from a 19-year-old man before lighting it and starting to run, Tisch said. He dropped the second device on a street, and officers secured the area, taking both men into custody.