Hundreds of passengers were evacuated after multiple shots were heard in the airport.
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Two terminals were evacuated at John F. Kennedy International Airport due to reports of gunshots late Sunday evening, but as it turns out, those “shots” may have just been Usain Bolt fans going insane. There were flight disruptions and delays caused by the incident but regular service returned by 12:45 a.m., a PAPD spokesman said.
An official told NBC News that cheering, clapping and banging from people watching the Olympics may have been misinterpreted as a fight and gunshots.
Investigators were also unsure exactly how the commotion spread across the airport campus to Terminal 1, where rumors about a shooter, combined with the sound of alarms and sight of armed police, convinced some people that an attack was underway.
Passengers posted pictures and videos on Twitter showing crowds of people gathered outside the terminals.
There were scenes of panic as authorities asked people to lie down and then asked them to evacuate.
The Port Authority of NY and New Jersey said that the evacuation occurred after reports of gunshots around 9:30 p.m. They said this video originated as the terminal was already being cleared.
The airport starting resuming normal operations several hours after the initial reports of gunshots.
Port Authority police called in officers from the New York Police Department to assist with the investigation.
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Police evacuated Terminal 8 around 9:30 p.m. Sunday as a precaution after receiving 911 calls about shots fired near the departures area. “It appears that no shots have been fired”, he said. He also said that the televisions above him were tuned to CNN and not the Olympics.
