Newark Airport briefly evacuated when traveler set off alarm

NEW JERSEY - Travelers and staff experienced some scary moments at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday morning. One of the terminals was evacuated on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Passengers in the terminal ran for their lives, witnesses said. Some fell as they ran down the stairs and escalator, fearing there was a bomb threat or an active shooter. Some were even barefoot because they had taken off their shoes at security checkpoints when the small panic ensued. 

"We were checking in our bags and then people started saying, 'There's a shooter' — we started running," one traveler told FOX 5 NY.

One passenger tweeted she and others were hiding in the basement.

But turns out there wasn't a shooter or a bomb. A passenger apparently exited through a security door in Terminal C, triggering alarms and prompting Port Authority Police to respond.

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Police took the woman who set off the alarm into custody and then searched the area. Once officers gave the all-clear, passengers were allowed back in but had to be rescreened. 

Airport officials say everything was back to normal after a short period of time.

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