Backfiring motorcycle sends Times Square tourists into a panic

Panic broke out and tourists went into an evacuative frenzy in the middle of Times Square after hearing multiple popping noises resembling rapid gunfire Tuesday evening. But after further investigation, the noises were backfire from a motorcycle’s engine. Despite the seemingly harmless source of the noises, it’s a sign of the mental state people are in following the tragic mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

People fleeing and hiding from #timessquare after suspected live shooter #NewYork we caught this from our hotel bar 10th floor #police confirmed this was not a live shooter #timessquare #NYC pic.twitter.com/IKfagFbtzy

— The Daniels Group (@DanielsGrp) August 7, 2019

"All of a sudden I heard this kind of muffled pop and said what was that, and I looked over and there was just a sea of people running,” a witness told reporters for New York's WABC 7. “I had one or two seconds to think, is this really happening?"

“We just hear ‘pop, pop, pop…’” another told WCBS 2. “I thought that somebody just came in and started shooting people.”

Various video clips and photos surfaced on social media as people took to their smartphones to capture the chaos. Police, who received hundreds of 911 calls during the incident, later confirmed that the noise was from a passing motorcycle, but the damage had already been done and Times Square remained a ghost town for the rest of the evening.

Doesn’t sound like a motorcycle backfiring to me. Pure chaos 13 minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/17t425s6c8

— Emma (@emma_elizabeth6) August 7, 2019

“They were all running, like running everywhere. Almost got hit by cars and everything. They jumped out of shoes. There were shoes everywhere,” said Ace Guzman, a local worker in Times Square.

Around 22 people were reportedly injured, with four admitted to local hospitals as a result of the panic.

"It's a shame the climate of America is like that,” New Yorker Evan Dore told WCBS reporters.