NEW YORK: Two terminals at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport are resuming normal operations Monday morning after reports of shots fired prompted evacuations and grounded and diverted flights.
The reports, which led to some frightening moments for fliers Sunday night, were later determined to be unfounded and the airport was given the all-clear.
Police evacuated Terminal 8 around 9:30 p.m. Sunday as a precaution after receiving 911 calls about shots fired near the departures area.
A short time later, police closed Terminal 1 after they said they received additional reports of shots fired in that terminal. A highway approaching the airport also was shut down.
There were no injuries reported. It was not immediately clear what led to the airport scare.
After deplaning, hundreds of people queuing to pass through immigration checkpoints were stuck in the area for more than two hours under heavy police presence.
Panic spread quickly through the crowd as police ordered people to lie on the ground, then evacuated them through corridors leading outside to the tarmac.
“Get down on the ground! Down, down!” police officers yelled. At other times, they ordered: “Move, move, move!“
Frightened children cried as people fled to safety.
A German traveler, who only gave her name as Gisela, said a policeman told her “There is an active shooter, run.”
Police prohibited travelers from making phone calls or taking photographs. One man was arrested for trying to capture images of the chaotic scenes.
JFK airport resumes operations after scare
JFK airport resumes operations after scare
