Activists took to the Manhattan Bridge last weekend as part of a pro-Palestinian protest ahead of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba this week. This led to NYPD Assistant Police Chief James McCarthy attempting to disperse some of the protesters and reaching for his pepper spray while doing so, only to seemingly accidentally spray himself in the eyes.

In footage posted online, McCarthy can be seen pulling the pepper spray out of his pocket, looking down at it, and quickly turning his head away and squeezing his eyes shut, as you would after someone has pepper sprayed you. Several other officers came to McCarthy’s aid, pouring bottled water on his eyes to flush the irritant out.

NYPD would have Lied about this without video. They were originally telling MSM press "someone sprayed him with pepper spray". They failed to mention Assistant Chief James McCarthy was the one who sprayed himself and multiple other people. https://t.co/cCbByiPYce pic.twitter.com/7lDWuercDK

— Ali (@MerruX) May 12, 2024

An unnamed member of the NYPD later told CBS that “someone” pepper sprayed McCarthy, which is technically true, it’s just that someone was him.

Today, over 100 protestors intentionally blocked lanes of traffic on the Manhattan Bridge. This footage gives us a bird’s-eye view of our police officers placing individuals under arrest, restoring order, and keeping NYC moving. More than an inconvenience, this is a public safety… pic.twitter.com/I0czvyZQwU

— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 11, 2024