Panic in Central Park: the noise at the Global Citizen Festival was a fallen barrier, not a shot

Panic and confusion erupted Saturday night in Central Park after the noise of spectators at the Global Citizen Festival, some mistakenly attributing the sound to shots.

Witnesses described near-postage in some places as people sought cover, jumped on fences and stomped. Some were in tears and called their loved ones, while others said they lost items or were separated from their friends, according to social media.

But the police quickly refuted reports of a shooting, claiming that the noise came from a fallen fence and not from a gunshot.

A spokesman for the fire department said that no injuries had been reported.

For many, the brief panic that occurred around 7:30 pm was an indication of the state of mind of the country at a time when shootings could take place everywhere – in schools, churches, police boxes night and concerts. Although no shots were fired, the possibility of a shooting seemed real and believed.

A concert performer interviewed on MSNBC said, "We have only seen a mass of people running. Like a wave of people going in that direction. My daughter is screaming for me to run. "

"Almost got stomped", executive producer at NBC tweeted. "Having to keep your wife in the middle of a group of people who think they're being shot is not my favorite. I came home.

Global Citizen is a movement of citizens who want to use their voice to end extreme poverty by 2030. Janet Jackson, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B and Janelle Monea were among those who had to perform on the big lawn of the park.

The concert seemed to stop briefly in the midst of chaos. Chris Martin, the singer of Coldplay, tried to calm the crowd before handing over the microphone to Kathleen O'Reilly, assistant to the head of the police department.

"Everyone is relaxing, calming down," said Chief O'Reilly. "It was a barrier collapse. There were no shots. Hope the show will continue. We simply have to reassess the situation and try to create a new path of security. We will have to do our best. "

The organization tweeted Saturday night that "everyone is safe."

The show was back and Janet Jackson took the stage.