Chaos at Newark Liberty International over false threat

NEWARK (FOX 5 NY) - Terminal A was evacuated at Newark Liberty International Airport Monday evening after a panicked airline worker apparently screamed "evacuate" and some passengers thought there was an active shooter at the airport.

The worker also hit an alarm that sounded across the entire terminal, leaving passengers trying to figure out what was going on.

Passengers left bags behind and ran for exits as police rushed into the terminal.  Around 200 people ended up pouring out of Gate 37 onto the tarmac.

Sports writer David Lombardi was in the terminal at the time.

He tweeted that it was an "insane situation" and that the airport was in a state of "confusion and chaos" as events unfolded.

Lombardi later tweeted that apparently an Alaska Airlines employee saw two men she deemed suspicious and made a scene about it.  He said her coworkers didn't deem the men suspicious and the employee "began to have a breakdown."

A Port Authority spokesperson said it was unclear why the flight attendant tried to question the two men who were regular, ticketed passengers. The worker was somehow spooked, started yelling for people to evacuate, and hit the alarm.

About an hour later the airport tweeted out that it was determined that there was no threat in the terminal.  All passengers and employees were being re-screened as a precaution, causing further delays at the airport.

The airline says the men that caused the airline worker to panic were located and questioned and were determined to just be "minding their own business."

Passenger Erin Fors said it was the most "terrifying few minutes of my life."  She had run onto a tarmac with other passengers.

Fors tweeted, "I ran with the crowds, hid under some seats, looked for an exit, headed out to the tarmac. Sounded like gun shots but after seeing the damage in this terminal, it's more likely it was glass being shattered from people jumping. Terrifying."

Cristina Centeno, the assistant women's basketball coach at Appalachian State University, said she was "terrified" as things unfolded.  She tweeted video of the police escorting dozens of passengers back into the terminal from the tarmac.

Fors said, "I just want to go home."

The flight attendant was also detained and questioned. It was unclear whether she would be charged.