NEW YORK CITY – Attendees of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will notice a heavier police presence than usual, as well as sanitation trucks lining the parade route.
The city is on high alert after ISIS labelled the parade “an excellent target.” ISIS is calling for a Nice-style attack, encouraging supporters to use rented trucks to drive into spectators.
Authorities say they’ve also arrested a local man for talking about attacking Times Square and trying to join ISIS.
The city looks to avoid truck attacks by lining 81 sanitation trucks, previously parked outside of Trump Tower to protect the president-elect, along the parade route from 77th Street on the Upper West Side to 34th Street in midtown.
The trucks will also block specific intersections bordering the parade.
“You can ram a New York City Sanitation Department sand truck with a lot of things, but you’re not going to move it,” says NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Counterterrorism John Miller.
Despite the threat, locals like Julie Spellman, whose daughter is performing in the parade, are still excited about attending.
Spellman says, “It’s a dream come true for me to be here at the parade. I have complete faith in the NYPD to keep us safe.”
“This is not something that just occurred to us over the weekend,” Miller said at a news conference. “Bottom line: Come to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Have a good time. Bring the family.”
