After what was thought to be the sound of gun shots, a hysterical crowd attending the Global Citizens Festival on Saturday night stampeded their way through Central Park.
According to the NY Post, hundreds of screaming audience members mistook the sound of falling metal NYPD barriers for gun fire around 8 p.m. and began running for their lives, pushing and shoving those in their way.
Seven members from the audience suffered minor injuries from the incident that occurred in between Cardi B.’s appearance and Janet Jackson taking the stage, per police reports.
“People were convinced it was a shooting,” Patrick Lee told the NY Post. “It was really frightening.”
New York officers rushed in to address the scare and decipher what was going on. Those trying to get back in to the event where turned away until the scene was under control.
Global Citizen Festival carries on after scare
Chris Martin of Coldplay, who organized this year’s event, took to the stage and worked to calm the crowd and clear up the misunderstanding.
“Nobody is trying to hurt anybody, and you’re all safe, OK?” Martin shared. He then called NYPD Assistant Chief Kathleen O’Reilly to the stage to share what really happened with the audience.
There were NO SHOTS FIRED at #GlobalCitizenFestival. The sound was a fallen barrier. @NYPDCentralPark @GlblCtzn
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 29, 2018
“It was a barrier collapse,” she said. “There were no shots fired.”
The Global Citizen Festival went on with Janet Jackson performing her song “Burn It Up” followed by “Nasty.”
“Janet saved the night,” concertgoer Carolyn Oliver shared. “And she looked good, too.”
Thank you to all the Global Citizens who took action and joined us today. Our thoughts are with those who were injured or afraid after the barrier fell earlier this evening. We’re grateful for the first responders who ensured everyone’s safety and enabled the festival to go on. pic.twitter.com/K03VEpP8FJ
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) September 30, 2018
