Motorcycle Backfire Leads To Panic In Times Square

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Panic spread through Times Square on Tuesday night after the sound of a motorcycle backfiring was confused for gunshots, police and city officials said.

A stampede of people rushed from the popular tourist destination when a motorcycle passed through the area around 10 p.m. and made a "popping" noise, police said. The department was soon flooded with 911 calls.

Police officials were quick to spread the word on social media that there was no danger in Times Square.

"We are [receiving] multiple 911 calls. Please don’t panic. The Times Square area is very safe!" the NYPD's Midtown North Precinct Tweeted around 10:10 p.m.

Six people suffered minor injuries during the stampede, WPIX11 first reported.

EarthCam, a company that hosts live streams from various locations across the globe, released footage of the stampede from three different angles. A packed Times Square empties out in minutes as an initial wave of people running from the scene inspires others to follow in confusion.

Mayor Bill de Blasio assured New Yorkers that the Midtown Manhattan hotspot was safe around 11 p.m., but added that recent mass shootings have left people on edge. Thirty-one people were killed during shootings inEl Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio in recent shootings.

"The noises earlier were motorcycles backfiring, not gunshots. But what people felt was all too real. Nobody should have to live in constant fear of gun violence. This country is better than this," de Blasio said in a statement.