A short while later, police closed Terminal 1 after they said they received additional reports of shots fired in that terminal.
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However, investigations have discovered no evidence of gunfire, the airport’s operator said, while no gun casings were found after a search of Terminal 8.
Footage and images emerged on social media showing hundreds of travellers streaming out of Terminal 8, which was evacuated “out of an abundance of caution”, the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey said.
There were no injuries reported.
Around 10:15, panic erupted in Terminal 1 with another report of shots fired.
“All affected terminals will resume operations shortly”.
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent walks through John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport on May 24, 2016 in New York, New York.
There were scenes of panic as authorities asked people to lie down and then asked them to evacuate.
Cheering and banging while people watched the Olympics may have been mistaken for the sound of shots, one official said.
911 calls came in around 9:30 p.m. Sunday reporting gunfire. Travelers should contact their carriers.
The authority confirmed all terminals had been searched and cleared, with “negative results”.
Several flights were grounded in response to the incident, The Associated Press reported. Officials evacuated the area as they investigated.
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Amelia Mularz, a stranded passenger, was on a plane travelling to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil when her flight was disrupted. John F Kennedy airport is the busiest in the United States, with more than 50 million passengers passing through its building every year.
