VIDEO: Swarm of bees invades van, shuts down traffic in Midtown Manhattan

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A swarm of yellow bees surrounded a van in Midtown Manhattan Friday, prompting police to close down a block and pedestrians to run in fear.

The bees were swarming around a yellow work van parked on East 47th Street between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue.

The ordeal started at about 11:30 a.m. and continued through mid-afternoon.

Watch raw video showing the swarm here:

Watch raw video from Ardell Reilly showing bees swarm a van in Midtown Manhattan.

Police closed a portion of East 47th Street to vehicular traffic, and people were kept from walking on the south side of the street.

NYPD's beekeeper was called to the scene to remove the bees.

It wasn't immediately clear how many bees were involved or why they were swarming the van.