Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium concert erupted into chaos Sunday night after large groups of people broke through the gates, prompting New York City police to shut down the venue, delaying the performance by several hours.
According to authorities, the security breach occurred before Jay-Z’s final three-day concert at the famous baseball stadium in the Bronx.
The riot broke out as large groups of people pushed through lines of fans waiting to enter and attacked security checkpoints and entrances, a law enforcement source told New York ABC station WABC.
A crowd waits outside Yankee Stadium, July 12, 2026, after large groups of people stormed the gates of a Jay-Z concert, prompting NYPD to block the venue.
VABK
In a joint statement released Monday morning, concert promoter Roc Nation and Yankee Stadium said “hundreds of people in large groups” who they said did not have tickets to the show “assaulted peaceful ticket holders and in some cases violated safety rules.”
“As a result, gates to all entrances to the stadium were closed for an extended period of time,” the joint statement said. “Under the thoughtful leadership of the NYPD, the gates have been reopened with care and caution to ensure the safety of those inside and outside.”
A crowd waits outside Yankee Stadium, July 12, 2026, after large groups of people stormed the gates of a Jay-Z concert, prompting NYPD to block the venue.
VABK
The concert was scheduled to begin at 8:00 pm ET, but thousands of fans waiting outside were not allowed to enter Yankee Stadium until approximately 10:00 pm, under heavy security and with police officers patrolling the entrances.
Jay-Z didn’t take the stage until 12:20 a.m. Monday, WABC reported.
Jay-Z attends the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Brazil and Norway on July 5, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Al Bello/Getty Images
The Brooklyn rapper apologized to the crowd for the delay, according to multiple videos posted by fans from inside the stadium.
“There are 10,000 people outside. I don’t want the music to come on and people to get trampled,” Jay-Z told fans, online videos show. “I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I needed to make sure everyone was okay.”
The concert ended only around 3 am.
The show featured surprise guest performers including Rihanna, Usher, Fat Joe, Jeezy, Pusha T, Pharrell, Jadakiss and Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé.
The NYPD has not announced any arrests related to the security breach.