Scott LoBaido Warns Mamdani to Skip Ground Zero

After the mayor spoke, LoBaido tried unsuccessfully to approach him and then said he was not feeling well before collapsing. Friends and witnesses said his heart stopped for two minutes and he had no pulse. The 61-year-old suffered ventricular fibrillation and had to be revived with CPR and defibrillators after flatlining twice. Doctors later treated him at Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health, where a defibrillator was implanted in his heart on Thursday.

LoBaido’s dispute with Mamdani is tied to a larger and deeply emotional fight over how New York marks the September 11 anniversary. Ground Zero remains one of the most sensitive places in the country, and any appearance there by a city mayor carries heavy meaning for victims’ relatives, first responders, and New Yorkers who still carry the memory of that day. Mamdani’s vow to attend has sharpened that tension rather than eased it.

LoBaido, who described himself as the messenger rather than the authority, said his warning reflects the wishes of what he called a great majority of the friends and family of the victims. His friend John Tobacco, host of “Wise Guys” on Newsmax, said the activist had been sent back to “haunt Mamdani.” LoBaido also joked that people should buy his artwork while they still can. The fight over Ground Zero now heads toward a fraught anniversary, and Americans will be watching to see whether Mamdani attends and how victims’ families respond. The bigger lesson is simple: Ground Zero still demands respect, and the anniversary will test whether city leaders honor that weight.