A huge power failure occurred on the night of July 13, 1977 that left The Big Apple in the dark. The 24-hour blackout led to major acts of vandalism at many sections of NYC. It took hours for cops to respond to areas which needed them the most.
Some 2,000 people were reportedly arrested. Firefighters answered 1,500 alarms stores throughout the city and approximately more than half actual fires.
The looting of over 1,600 stores and the setting of over 1,000 fires across all five boroughs was made worse because NYC was dealing with unemployment, a limited police force, high crime, near-bankruptcy, a serial killer on the loose, a garbage strike and and an unbearable heat wave.
‘Blackout,’ When New York Plunged Into Darkness, Then Chaos, in 1977 http://nyti.ms/1UVDnsV