Emergency personnel are responding to reports of an explosive—believed to be a firework—that went off on an F train in Manhattan on Friday morning, sparking a "full stampede" and a "chain reaction of fear," according to commuters.
A spokesperson for the FDNY said they were treating at least one person for a non-life-threatening injury after receiving reports of the chaotic scene between 14th Street and 23rd Street at about 9:30 a.m. The MTA is informing frightened customers that "someone lit a firecracker on that train which caused everyone to run."
.@NYCTSubway SOMEONE THREW A LIT, EXPLOSIVE FITECRACKER INTO NORTHBOUND F TRAIN AT 14 ST APPROXIMATELY 3 MIN AGO CAR 9342. VERY BACK OF TRAIN NEAR L TRAIN STAIRS. ADDRESS THIS IMMEDIATELY @NYPDnews
— Amelia Vogler (@Amelia_Vogler) May 31, 2019
HI, Leslie. We are aware of this and I'm sure it was a very scary situation. Someone lit a firecracker on that train which caused everyone to run. We hope you and everyone are ok. NYPD and EMS are on the scene. ^JP
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) May 31, 2019
Holy shit. Someone set off a firecracker on the F train this morning. My car filled with smoke and everyone stampeded to the next car while the train was still going. Stay safe everyone.
— Randall Lotowycz (@RandallLotowycz) May 31, 2019
An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that an unidentified type of firework caused the incident.
Passenger Randall Lotowycz told Gothamist: "There was a small explosion on the other end of the subway car I was on. It felt like everyone still for a moment as we processed what happened. There were smoke and everyone ran toward my end of the train. A few people were knocked down and I felt awful for a service dog who was caught up in the stampede. I jumped onto a seat just to get out of the way of everyone. As we pulled into 23rd, someone said they thought it was a firecracker."
On Twitter, one user reported that "people came flooding in from the next carriage screaming," and that it appeared someone had broken an ankle. He added that he'd "never seen such fear."
More from scene of #Ftrain attack, everyone disembarked from 23 St. people were running through train cars trying to escape. One woman lost a shoe, carnage of spilled coffees, groceries, etc. pic.twitter.com/MU5RXKPkY5
— Amelia Vogler (@Amelia_Vogler) May 31, 2019
Just got caught up in a terrifying stampede on the NY subway. People came flooding in from the next carriage screaming and set off a chain reaction of fear. Apparently someone let off a firecracker or something. Shoes, bags, screaming.Seems most people ok. Someone broke an ankle.
— Dave Calhoun (@davecalhoun) May 31, 2019
According to the MTA, there are service changes and delays on the F and M trains due to NYPD activity on 23rd Street.
A spokesperson for the transit authority could not immediately provide additional details. We'll update as more information becomes available.
Nothing makes you contemplate your own mortality on a Summer Friday commute more than an explosive device being thrown mere inches from you in a subway car 🙃 #Ftrain
— Amelia Vogler (@Amelia_Vogler) May 31, 2019
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UPDATE: In a statement, NYC Transit President Andy Byford said, "This is criminal, dangerous and abhorrent behavior, and we are working with the NYPD to ensure whoever did this is brought to justice." Transit personnel are at the scene assisting customers, as police and firefighters investigate the felony crime, according to an MTA spokesperson. There are no suspects at this time.
At a later (unrelated) press conference, Byford described the perpetrator(s) as "some mindless idiots" who set off a "large firecracker... which caused a lot of consternation amongst riders." He also pointed out that this offense was felony reckless endangerment. "I'm very confident in the NYPD's abilities. If we can find out who did this—same as I said about another person the other day—we're going to nail them. Because that is stupid, reckless, mindless, moronic behavior it has no place on the New York subway system. It caused unnecessary consternation to people, so we're on their case."
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