Bucks County Teens Arrested After IED Detonated During Clash At NYC Mayor’s Mansion

Two Bucks County teens face charges after an IED was detonated at a NYC protest. The FBI raided a Middletown home Sunday as part of the federal probe.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 9, 2026, 10:39 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Keystone Newsroom and the USA Today Network.

Confrontation at Gracie Mansion

The incident occurred Saturday morning outside the official residence of the New York City mayor. A small group of approximately 20 demonstrators, associated with Jake Lang—a recently pardoned January 6 participant—were met by roughly 125 counterprotesters. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, tensions escalated around noon when an unidentified individual from Lang’s group pepper-sprayed counterprotesters. Shortly thereafter, authorities allege that Emir Balat ignited an IED and threw it toward the barrier separating the groups.

IED Discovery and Arrests

NYPD officials confirmed that the device Balat ignited was a functional IED, not a smoke bomb or a pyrotechnic. Balat was apprehended while allegedly attempting to grab a second device from 19 year old Ibrahim Kayumi. Both teens were taken into custody and remain held as police work with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Balat is identified as a student in the Neshaminy School District, which released a statement Wednesday noting they are cooperating with law enforcement but see no immediate threat to local schools.

FBI Raid in Middletown

On Sunday evening, March 8, federal agents and a regional SWAT team executed a court-authorized search warrant at Balat’s family home in the Durham Meadows neighborhood of Middletown. Witnesses described a high-intensity scene involving a military-style vehicle and a dozen police cruisers. Neighbors expressed shock at the development, describing the Balat family as a "normal, suburban" presence in the community for the last decade. Federal officials stated that the raid was part of the ongoing New York City investigation and was not related to immigration enforcement.