Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Brooklyn Cyclist Says Someone Went On A Food-Throwing Rampage In Fort Greene
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 28, 2013
Modified Jun 28, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 7
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 28, 2013
Modified Jun 28, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In 2011, a Park Slope computer programmer was biking home from work when a group of teenagers threw a brick at him in broad daylight from a pedestrian overpass at Navy Street in Fort Greene. That same programer, Stephen Arthur, now says he was the victim of another attack while cycling a block away from that location—only this time, it was food that was thrown at him as he biked on Ashland Place. "Last night as I was riding my bicycle home in a bike lane from Manhattan [when] what looked like a projectile nearly hit my head as it passed in front of my face," he told us. "The object turned out to be a full 9 ounce bottle of Hellmann's mayonnaise."
Arthur, who was biking home around 1:25 a.m. Friday, surveyed the area and surmised that this one-way food fight had been going on for awhile: "I noticed a box of spaghetti splattered on the ground, and then a honey mustard bottle splattered on the sidewalk, a Kraft ranch dressing bottle on the ground which was splattered on a parked car, other food splattered on the hood of another parked car, more food splattered on the roof of another car, and a bottle of Welch's jelly splattered on the road."
You can click through the photos above and see some of the aftermath of the condiment hailstorm. The question is: was someone was purposefully trying to hit him/other cyclists, or did Arthur stumble upon someone dumping their refrigerator?
Unlike the last incident, there were no teenagers in sight—so he believes the objects had been thrown from University Towers at 122 Ashland Place. A doorman there told him there had been reports of someone throwing things from the building's 5th floor, adding that the person "appears to have serious emotional problems." But when police arrived, "they said since I did not see anyone throw objects, and I was not injured, there was nothing they could do."
Police confirmed they had reports of someone throwing objects off the building from an unknown floor. But they said once they arrived, there were no injuries, so the incident was deemed "unfounded." Have you had any bad experiences with that particular bike lane on Ashland Place?
Tagged
brooklyn
cyclist
food throwing
food throwing rampage
fort greene
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani says he's 'confident' NYC will collect $500 million with pied-à-terre tax
The city’s Department of Finance granted more than 8,800 of the roughly 11,000 exemption applications.
By
Elizabeth Kim
and
David Brand
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. ET
Who is enforcing the MTA’s $3 bus fare? For the moment, no one.
The MTA has suspended its fare enforcement unit after a series of confrontations with riders. The NYPD said it won't step in to ensure riders pay.
By
Clayton Guse
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Who is enforcing the MTA’s $3 bus fare? For the moment, no one.
The MTA has suspended its fare enforcement unit after a series of confrontations with riders. The NYPD said it won't step in to ensure riders pay.
By
Clayton Guse
and
Ramsey Khalifeh
15-year-old boy shot and killed Thursday morning in the Bronx, NYPD says
By
Charles Lane
How NYC voters could determine outcome of race for governor
By
Jon Campbell
Early Addition: Is the Cheesecake Factory vs. the Amtrak buttercake our new culture war?
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .