Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Motorcycle Backfiring In Times Square Causes Massive Stampede That Leaves Several Injured

Motorcycle Backfiring In Times Square Causes Massive Stampede That Leaves Several Injured

@RobOnTheFly/Twitter, @CNN/Twitter, @NBCNewYork/Twitter

As the nation is reeling from news of two mass shootings over the weekend, a false alarm in New York City reveals just how shell-shocked civilians have become.

Tourists milling about Times Square on Tuesday night suddenly panicked when they heard what they believed were a series of gun shots. Others thought they heard an explosion.

The ensuing chaos where the crowd feared for their lives was the result of a motorcylce backfiring, according to police.


Witnesses ran for cover from a non-existent gunman, convinced they were in the middle of a third shooting after the two recent tragedies that took place in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio resulting in a combined total of 31 confirmed deaths.

Videos of the tourist destination erupting in mass hysteria began circulating online.

Those who were in the middle of the pandemonium recounted seeing people tumbling over one another as they scattered north on Broadway.




CNN affiliate WLNY said the panic took place around 10 p.m. near 7th Avenue and 46th Street.

On Twitter, the NYPD assured the public there was no active shooter.

"There is no #ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles backfiring while passing through sounded like gun shots."


Authorities said that approximately 20 people were injured with bruises and lacerations from the stampede of scared pedestrians—many of whom refused medical attention—and fewer than six people were taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Social media was buzzing about the current state of our country.







We have become a traumatized nation. So what are we going to do about it?

Unfortunately we live in violent times. The book Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, available here, offers guidance.

More from Trending

JD Vance; Jen Psaki
Johannes Simon/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Vance Gets Brutal Reminder After Accusing Jen Psaki Of 'Attacking' People For Praying Following School Shooting

Vice President JD Vance was criticized after he lashed out at MSNBC host Jen Psaki for saying that "prayer is not freaking enough" to end school shootings after a shooter killed two children and wounded 17 others during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Psaki spoke out on X shortly after the shooting occured, to stress that "thoughts and prayers" don't actually address or prevent mass shootings and gun violence overall:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @andydouglas.trumpboy's TikTok video; President Donald Trump
@andydouglas.trumpboy/TikTok; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Video Of Little Boy Sobbing After Finding Out Trump Is A Real Person Goes Viral—And We Totally Get It

Whether it was Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or some other important facet of childhood, most of us found out when we were kids that something we loved did not exist, and it was absolutely devastating and world-changing.

But imagine there being something that you deeply disliked or feared, only for you to find out that it actually exists on the same plane and in the same timeline as you.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @originalsugarphly's TikTok video
@originalsugarphly/TikTok

Woman Stunned After Best Friend Of 23 Years Ends Friendship Over Her 'Mom Shorts'

We will all have friends who come into our lives for a reason, for a season, or for a lifetime. There are those situational friendships, like from work or school, that dissolve when we exit that space, and there are friendships that might form from knowing the same people.

Then there are those tried-and-true friendships that we think will truly stand the test of time—but even those sometimes fracture under pressure. And sometimes for the most ridiculous reasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @nurse_xtina129's TikTok
@nurse_xtina129/TikTok

Woman Sparks Debate By Putting Out Small Fire At Dunkin' Donuts After Workers Ignored It

Imagine hitting that afternoon slump and seeking out your favorite caffeinated beverage: a highlight in an otherwise dumpster fire kind of day. But then you arrive at your coffeehouse of choice—and there's literally a fire.

TikToker Cristina Conklin was waiting in line for a beverage at Dunkin' Donuts in Warwick, New York, when she became either a villain or a hero, depending on who was watching her TikTok video.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Republican congressman and Fox News host Trey Gowdy
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

MAGA Fumes Over Fox Gun Control Talk

The nation is reeling after yesterday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, where a gunman opened fire during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen others. The tragedy has not only shaken the community but also reignited the national debate over guns in America—this time sparked by an unlikely voice.

Former Republican congressman and Fox News host of Sunday Night in America, Trey Gowdy—long seen as a staunch defender of gun rights and a past recipient of National Rifle Association contributions—surprised many of his own allies when he called for a national reckoning on firearms access.

Keep ReadingShow less