A Manhattan casting call for America's Next Top Model turned into a frenzied stampede of wannabe models on Saturday after some of the crowd mistook an overheated car for a bomb.
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The car, which began smoking in the street near the crowd of waiting auditioners that were packing the sidewalks outside a hotel, reportedly became a cause for concern after people began yelling "There's a bomb!" according to The New York Daily News.
The resulting pandemonium sent hundreds of people running from the scene and injured six people, two of which were transported to the hospital, The Associated Press reported Saturday. Additionally, two women and a man were arrested for disorderly conduct while the audition was shut down by police as well.
"It was pretty scary," Jessica Paravati, a wannabe model who had waited on line overnight for the tryouts, told WNYW-TV, New York City's Fox affiliate, according to The AP.
"The girls were running like it was 9/11 part two," New York City native Jennifer Brown told the Daily News of the ordeal. "I feared for my life."
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Representatives for America's Next Top Model's The CW broadcast network, Top Model host Tyra Banks, and the Park Central New York hotel where the auditions were taking place were not immediately reachable by The AP.
The auditions for the upcoming season of America's Next Top Model recently made news with the announcement that they would only be open to women who were 5'7 or shorter. In addition to the auditions in Manhattan, tryouts for The CW series are still scheduled to be held in Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles.
About The Author: Steven Rogers