Mayoral Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani Once Admitted to Stealing Campus Table in College Column

By: Andrew Carlson

New York City mayoral frontrunner and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a progressive Democrat and vocal supporter of defunding the police, once confessed in a college newspaper column to stealing a table from a dormitory at Bowdoin College in Maine, according to resurfaced reports.

The episode, which has drawn renewed scrutiny amid his high-profile campaign, dates back to September 2011, when Mamdani authored a tongue-in-cheek piece for The Bowdoin Orient—the school’s student newspaper—entitled “Idiots Steal Table.” In the article, he detailed how he and a friend plotted and carried out the removal of a piece of furniture from one campus building to another, only to be quickly caught by security.

According to a report that appeared on Saturday in The New York Post, Mamdani admitted to having eyed the table since his freshman year, eventually concocting a plan to “borrow” it for use in his new residence hall. The then-undergraduate described how the heist was carried out “in broad daylight,” as he and his accomplice moved the table between dormitories, believing there were no cameras to capture the theft.

In his column, Mamdani recounted how the table, which he jokingly suggested was useful for playing games with red Solo cups and ping-pong balls, became a coveted object during his first year at the small liberal arts college. By the fall of 2011, he claimed, he had grown fond enough of the furniture to act on his plan with a classmate.

“I would occasionally use the table in my room. You know, for that game with the red Solo cups and a few ping-pong balls,” Mamdani wrote in the Orient, before clarifying that it was “not a drinking game,” but rather played with water.

As The New York Post report highlighted, the admission painted the theft as both premeditated and somewhat reckless. Mamdani wrote that he assumed there were no surveillance cameras monitoring his path, only to learn the next day that he had been caught on video.

The revelation came when Randy Nichols, a retired Maine State Trooper who headed Bowdoin’s security department at the time, phoned Mamdani directly. Nichols asked if he had any knowledge of missing furniture, leading the future lawmaker to quickly admit his role.

“His first words to me on the phone: ‘Zohran, do you have any knowledge on the whereabouts of a bench from second floor West?’ I couldn’t believe it, and yet I kind of did,” Mamdani wrote in his self-deprecating column, quoted by The New York Post.

“By the end of the conversation, I had admitted to having taken a table from [the] second floor [of the] West [building] without asking anyone, and also to having been an idiot in the process,” he added.

Despite the embarrassment, Mamdani struck a lighthearted tone in the piece, praising Nichols as “the man with the deepest voice I’ve ever heard and the trendiest wristbands on campus.” He concluded by acknowledging that he was scheduled to meet with his dean the following week to discuss the incident.

While Mamdani wrote in 2011 that he was prepared to face disciplinary action, it remains uncertain whether Bowdoin College formally punished him for the act. Nichols did not return messages seeking comment, and Bowdoin has not released details about the matter.

Representatives for Mamdani, who graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Africana studies, have also declined to address questions about the incident.

As The New York Post report noted, Mamdani’s retelling of the episode in the student newspaper suggests he viewed it as a moment of foolishness rather than malice, but the resurfacing of the story has provided fresh material for critics as he campaigns for the city’s top office.

Mamdani, who represents Astoria in the New York State Assembly, is among the most prominent members of the Democratic Socialists of America in city politics. He has drawn controversy for his outspoken positions, including calls to dismantle the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group and reduce funding for police operations.

The New York Post has reported extensively on Mamdani’s political rise, noting that his positions on law enforcement and public safety have made him a polarizing figure. The resurfacing of his college writings has added a personal dimension to debates about his judgment and leadership style.

The rediscovery of Mamdani’s 2011 column underscores how student writings can resurface decades later, providing unexpected insights into the personal histories of public figures. In this case, the self-penned account of a minor theft has reemerged at a pivotal moment in Mamdani’s political career, when questions of ethics, responsibility, and credibility are under heightened scrutiny.

As The New York Post report emphasized, it is not uncommon for candidates to face renewed examination of past behavior during competitive elections. For Mamdani, his own words—published in a college newspaper nearly 15 years ago—have become part of the record that voters may now weigh as they consider his bid for mayor.