A Manhattan man used a smirk and the ever-bizarre get-up of a Knicks jersey under a suit jacket to win a Mayor Zohran Mamdani lookalike contest in Manhattan on Sunday.
Amadeo Fusca, who at age 40 is 6 years older than Hizzoner, beat out about 10 other contestants to take home the $100 prize in front of around 200 cheering young people gathered for the Washington Square Park event.
Fusca — a comedian and actor who has already racked up millions of views posting skits on social media impersonating Mamdani — said he began emulating the mayor in his professional work after his friends bombarded him with pictures of Hizzoner while he was running for office, pointing out their striking resemblance.
“It was kind of the perfect storm of people constantly hitting me up,” said Fusca, who has starred in episodes of the hit TV show “NCIS” and in the film “The Alto Knights,” to The Post after his win.
He said he eventually fully embraced the Mamdani comparisons and even asked his barber for the mayor’s haircut.
“The funny thing is, I was growing my hair, and I was like, ‘No, I’m growing my hair, I don’t really want to do that.’ And then when [Mamdani] won [the mayor’s race], it was just insane, the messages I was getting,” Fusca said.
“I went to the barber that morning and said, ‘Here, cut my hair, and make me look like this now.’ And like, I have to look like this all the time now!
“I started doing Instagram videos to parody him and take on his shape,” the actor said. “It started to get more love, and I sort of realized recently that people are hiring me to do their variety shows.”
Fusca, who lives just a few blocks from the mayor’s Gracie Mansion residence on the Upper East Side, said he gained even more acclaim while attending Knicks watch parties.
“People were reacting like crazy, beyond what I even thought,” he said. “We just kept going to watch parties, and I kept inhabiting this field of people. It’s crazy how happy people get.”
Fusca grinned as he held up his cash prize in front of the crowd while clad in a New York Knicks jersey tucked beneath his suit jacket — an homage to Mamdani’s outfit after the home team’s NBA Finals win.
The competition drew a crew of Mamdani wannabes, including bearded contestants sporting the mayor’s signature suit-and-tie look with a bike helmet, which Hizzoner started wearing this month after scrutiny for biking without one.
Other contestants wore aprons while shirtless in a nod to Mamdani’s rap career under the stage name Mr. Cardamom.
The contest, hosted by Sonder, an app designed for Gen-Zers to connect and form friendships, is the latest installment in a series of look-alike contests at the Greenwich Village park.
In June, an adorable young New York Knicks fan won $5,000 in a Jalen Brunson lookalike contest at Washington Square Park and was surprised with a clutch FaceTime with the NBA Finals MVP.
Read the full article here
