Two NYC malls evacuated after fireworks set off

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Two NYC malls evacuated after fireworks set offThere was mass hysteria at two New York City malls on Saturday afternoon.

BRONX, New York (WABC) -- There was mass hysteria at two New York City malls on Saturday afternoon.

Somebody set off firecrackers by the food court area at the Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx around 1:30 p.m. Then, the same thing happened less than an hour later at Kings Plaza in Brooklyn.

Kings Plaza Mall was evacuated around 2:15 p.m. after the fireworks went off.

A witness who was in the Primark says she heard about three pops, and said it sounded like gunshots. She says she grabbed her two kids and went running down the stairs.

"I was shopping for my kids and I heard gunshots. I ran down the steps, running down quick. It got very scary," said the witness who did not want to be identified.

The mall has since reopened, and shoppers were allowed back inside a specific entrance.

No arrests have been made.

There are no reports of injuries in either incident.

Just last weekend, there was panic inside the Barclays Center when fans watching a boxing match ran for cover with fears of an active shooter. In this case, police say an excited fan kicked or threw a trash can - causing what sounded like gunshots.

With recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Texas, Tulsa and California, many people are on edge