14 DAY TRIAL // America’s Next Top Model auditions in New York went incredibly bad over the weekend, when hundreds of girls thought a fuming car was actually a bomb and tried to make a run for their lives. In the chaos that ensued, CNN informs, six people were injured and three were arrested, while the police are still looking into what might have caused the mini “riot.”
Auditions for the 13th season of the popular reality show were being held at the Park Central New York hotel in Manhattan. Thousands of girls were waiting outside in an orderly queue, just to get a chance to star in the show, which has supermodel Tyra Banks as judge and that is meant to be a trampoline straight into the fashion industry. At one point, the girls started screaming and tried to run – given that they were so many, it’s no wonder that all chaos broke loose in just a couple of moments.
Three people were arrested and charged “with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot” on the spot, CNN also reveals. When the madness stopped, the auditions were canceled and are now pending rescheduling. Hours after the incident, it emerged that the riot might have been prompted by a bomb scare, as a fuming car pulled over. What was perhaps just a case of an overheated engine was thought to be a bomb so, naturally, the girls tried to run for their life, several other media outlets are reporting.
“Fighting broke out and women were knocked over in a panicked stampede after a car belching smoke reportedly pulled up near the queue on Saturday afternoon, prompting cries of ‘Fire!’ and ‘There’s a bomb.’ As women stumbled over police barricades, witnesses told a local radio station that the mayhem was compounded after a man jumped out of a car and started grabbing purses. After the stampede, shoes and clothing littered the street outside the hotel. ‘The girls were running like it was 9/11 part two. I feared for my life,’ said Jennifer Brown, an aspiring model from Brooklyn.” The Telegraph writes about the incident.
Of the six women who needed medical assistance, some had been trampled over in the riot, while at least two fainted because of lack of food. The same media outlet says that the girls, some of which had queued up for the auditions a night before, were not able to leave and get food or use the bathroom without losing their place in the queue, which made many brave the long waiting without even as much as a glass of water.
Below is a video of the ANTP riot.