So, It Seems The Shooting Scare At JFK Was Just Usain Bolt Fans Going Wild

911 calls emerged moments after the Jamaican won his third straight 100-meter gold.
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The reports of gunshots that caused the evacuations of two terminals at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport late Sunday might have actually just been some excited Usain Bolt fans.

NBC News reported Monday that an official said “cheering, clapping and banging from people watching the Olympic Games” may have sounded like a scuffle and gunfire.

Reports of gun shots emerged around 9:30 p.m., just moments after Usain Bolt claimed his third consecutive gold medal in the 100-meter race. Joe Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority Police Department, could not confirm the cause of the commotion, but did say the incident was “not a hoax.”

“It does appear that people were concerned, they saw other people running, and they called 911,” Pentangelo told The Huffington Post. Authorities cleared the terminal.

Usain Bolt celebrates another gold in the 100-meters.
Usain Bolt celebrates another gold in the 100-meters.
Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters

The Port Authority released the following statement:

Approximately an hour later, NYPD Special Ops confirmed that the terminals were searched and cleared:

By 12:45 a.m., Monday, the terminal had resumed normal operations.

Bolt was not reached for comment, but we imagine he feels something like this:

Cameron Spencer via Getty Images

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