A spectator carrying a Palestinian flag stormed the field at Yankee Stadium during Friday night’s Yankees-Mets game, interrupting play at 9:11 p.m. on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Police and stadium security quickly chased down the man and tackled him in the outfield as fans jeered, threw drinks and later broke into chants of “USA.”
The disruption came in the top of the seventh inning with the Yankees leading 5-2. The Mets had the bases loaded with two outs, Francisco Lindor at the plate and the count full when the man entered from the left-field seats and sprinted toward center field, briefly evading officers before being subdued on the outfield grass.
Security and NYPD officers carried the protester beyond the center-field wall as fans seated above the Mets bullpen showered the area with beer cans and other objects. Video showed the man appearing to kick at officers as he was taken away, while the crowd booed and then erupted into “USA” chants.
🚨NEW: On the anniversary of 9/11 at the @Yankees/@Mets game, a man wearing a Palestinian flag ran out onto the field and was immediately tackled by NYPD officers and dragged off. Fans could be seen throwing drinks and food at the man as he exited.
Unreal. pic.twitter.com/dn1j99tXP8
— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) September 12, 2026
Reliever Brent Headrick threw several warmup pitches during the brief delay before play resumed. He then retired Lindor on a line-drive comebacker to escape the inning, and the Yankees went on to defeat the Mets 6-4. The protester’s identity was not immediately released, and it remained unclear Friday night whether he had been charged.
The field invasion stood in sharp contrast to a night otherwise devoted to remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Yankees and Mets players wore first-responder caps, American flags around the stadium flew at half-staff, and Yankees stars Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole joined manager Aaron Boone in placing a wreath at the 9/11 monument in Monument Park.
Members of the 2001 Yankees team, including Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, were also introduced on the field. Opera tenor James Valenti performed the national anthem, country singer Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the U.S.A.,” and honor guards from the NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority Police Department presented the colors as a giant American flag was unfurled across the outfield.
The ceremonial first pitches provided one of the evening’s most personal tributes. Brielle Saracini, whose father, Capt. Victor Saracini, piloted United Airlines Flight 175 before terrorists hijacked the plane and crashed it into the South Tower, threw to Cody Bellinger, while her husband, Sean McGuire, whose father was killed in the same tower, threw to Paul Goldschmidt. The couple met as children at a camp for families of 9/11 victims.
Boone said before the game that the Yankees understood “the weight of today” and the range of emotions surrounding the anniversary. The game opened the teams’ final Subway Series of the regular season, but videos of the field invasion quickly became one of the night’s most widely circulated moments on social media.
The disturbance also followed another controversy earlier Friday surrounding New York’s commemoration of the anniversary. Video from the Ground Zero ceremony reminded the country what leftwingers really think about September 11, showing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani laughing while family members read the names of those killed in the terror attacks. New Conservative Post reported that critics said the exchange showed a lack of reverence during what is traditionally the most solemn portion of the annual ceremony.
Taken together, the incidents provided a jarring counterpoint to a day built around remembrance of the dead, first responders and families still living with the consequences of the attacks. At Yankee Stadium, however, the crowd’s response to the field invader was immediate: boos, thrown drinks and chants of “USA” as police carried him from the field.
AOC and Zohran Mamdani shared a laugh and were seen smiling at the 25th anniversary of 9/11 as the names of the dead were read at Ground Zero. pic.twitter.com/3phoTxdadd
— The Constitutional Conservative (@TheCCShowcast) September 11, 2026
They weren’t the only pro-Palestine supporters in attendance at the memorial. Others protested the memorial service, but were met by NYFD veterans.
A NYC firefighter unleashed on a pro-Palestinian activist dressed in an Elmo costume.
“Go back to f*cken Palestine. We don’t want you here.” pic.twitter.com/PDNpwitaux
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 11, 2026
Stadium and league officials had not issued detailed statements about the incident late Friday.
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