Panicked passengers flee JFK Airport as cops hunt ‘gunman’ after ‘mistaking cheering during Usain Bolt’s 100m final win for gun shots’
THE busy airport went into lockdown as travellers cowered on the floor while armed police swept through terminals
MASS panic erupted at New York's JFK Airport last night after reports of gunfire and shooters on the loose sparked a frenzied evacuation.
The calls came in separately around 9.30pm and 10.15pm, sparking a massive law enforcement hunt for an armed individual.
However, it was later suggested thunderous applause for Usain Bolt's 100m Olympic victory may have been mistaken by crowds for gunshots, reported.
NYPD Emergency Services Unit officers with automatic weapons were spotted scouring the area as passengers took cover outside cement traffic barriers.
Thousands of people were ultimately forced to flee the airport in the wake of the incident.
“If you’re forgetting anything it’s not worth your life, everyone move now!” one officer yelled during the mayhem.
As a precaution, flights were diverted to nearby Buffalo airport and cops chose to close the main motorway leading to the airport.
The first call was made from the departure area of Terminal 8, while the second occurred in Terminal 1.
“I went in to get a boarding pass, the guy from the counter bolted out and everybody was running around and I’m like what the f***,” recalled Robert a New Yorker flying to London.
"We got motioned to go in to security, we wait there and the police motioned for us to go out. So we all ran out…It was freaky."
Norweign Airlines passenger Demetrius Pipkin said Terminal 1 turned into a "madhouse" as those panicking tried to flee but had nowhere to run to.
He told : "We were previously told to get on the floor and take cover behind any and everything we could find.
"When we finally were able to find exits it led to the runway, which is not necessarily the safest place either."
After deplaning, hundreds of people queuing to pass through immigration checkpoints were stuck in the area for more than two hours under heavy police presence.
Panic spread quickly through the crowd as police ordered people to lie on the ground, then evacuated them through corridors leading outside to the tarmac.
"Get down on the ground! Down, down!" police officers yelled. At other times, they ordered: "Move, move, move!" Frightened children cried as people fled to safety.
A German traveler, who only gave her name as Gisela, said a policeman told her "There is an active shooter, run."
When the travelers returned to the immigration area, there was renewed panic as armed police ran back and forth.
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Some travelers were ordered to hide in immigration booths. They were given no explanation for the security incident by police.
One woman sobbed loudly because she lost her nine-year-old child in the commotion.
Joshi Herrmann was at the airport when the mass panic broke out. He wrote on Twitter: "Six of us hid in the cupboard of the Alitalia lounge for about half an hour, or it felt like that.
"Outside we saw hundreds of people sprinting away from the terminal building and lying for cover behind vans. Inside it was totally quiet.
"Armed police just came and let us out of the cupboard and led us out of Terminal 1 where tonnes of people are waiting.
"I didn't hear any shots, beyond the noises of people sprinting in all directions. No one I've spoken to says they did either. That was a high grade panic."
A statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, confirmed no evidence of gunfire had been found, and that the evacuation was due to "an abundance of caution".
It said: "Preliminary investigation does not indicate shots were fired at JFK. There are no injuries. At this time, no gun shells or other evidence of shots has been found.
"The terminal was evacuated out of an abundance of caution. Travellers should contact their carriers.
"There is substantial PAPD and NYPD presence at JFK and LGA. Investigation continues."
New York police later confirmed on Twitter that all terminals would resume operations after no evidence of shots having been fired was found in any terminal.
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