New York Mayor Eric Adams said that it is “reckless and irresponsible” for anyone to chase people in vehicles in the densely populated city following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's statement on being involved in a “near catastrophic” pursuit by paparazzi.
Read more: Royal expert on Prince Harry, Meghan car chase: 'They've proven to be liars'
Saying that he did receive a full briefing about the incident but was concerned about reports, the mayor said, “It’s clear that the press, the paparazzi, they want to get the right shot. But public safety must always be at the forefront.”
Mayor Adams said “two of our officers could have been injured” while he found it “hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase.” Even an incident lasting 10 minutes could have been “extremely dangerous”, he said.
“New York City is different from a small town somewhere. You shouldn’t be speeding anywhere but this is a densely populated city,” he added, saying, “It would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and for something to have happened to them as well.”
Read more: Member of Harry-Meghan’s security on ‘chaotic’ car chase: ‘Could've been fatal'
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said that they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving “highly aggressive” paparazzi that lasted over two hours and could have been fatal. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was with them at the time.
{{/usCountry}}Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said that they were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving “highly aggressive” paparazzi that lasted over two hours and could have been fatal. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was with them at the time.
{{/usCountry}}The couple said in a statement that they were followed after attending a charity awards ceremony by the Ms Foundation for Women, where Meghan was honoured for her work.
The police said, “On [Tuesday] evening, May 16, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”