The Global Citizen Festival took place Saturday night in New York’s Central Park and during the festival, a barrier collapsed, causing widespread panic and confusion. As the New York Times reports, attendees mistook the sound created by the falling barrier for gunshots, causing a “near-stampede” in some areas as concert goers ran for cover, jumping fences and trampling people in the process. In the midst of the chaos, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin joined the NYPD Assistant Chief Kathleen O’Reilly on stage to assure the crowd that there were no gunshots.
“Nobody is trying to hurt anybody, you’re all safe,” Martin said. “There were no shots fired,” O’Reilly later added. The Global Citizen Twitter account later wrote that “everyone is safe,” and that the festival would continue as planned. They later added that an unspecified number of people were injured by the barrier collapse. No deaths have yet been reported.
WATCH: Chris Martin and NYPD Assistant Chief Kathleen O’Reilly explain that a fence barrier collapsed at #GlobalCitizen Festival; there were no shots fired: “You’re all safe.” pic.twitter.com/wiAbyMVjqh
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 29, 2018
Scary moment at the #GlobalCitizen Festival in NYC, live on @MSNBC: A fence barrier collapsed, the noise was startling, some attendees thought it sounded like gunshots, and there was a stampede. MSNBC cut to commercial, then came back and explained what happened. pic.twitter.com/SumPbM6GC5
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 30, 2018
Thank you to all the Global Citizens who took action and joined us today. Our thoughts are with those who were injured or afraid after the barrier fell earlier this evening. We’re grateful for the first responders who ensured everyone’s safety and enabled the festival to go on. pic.twitter.com/K03VEpP8FJ
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) September 30, 2018
