Sports venues across the Big Apple have game plans in place to deal with emergencies such as the Saturday night shooting that hurled a Nationals Park baseball game into chaos, sources told The Post Sunday.
Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center all have contingency plans to evacuate fans en masse to designated areas around the venues, though sources declined to provide details citing security reasons.
A high-ranking police source said the approach is typical based on “pushing more presence to the edges of the stadium’s property as opposed to just the park.
“We have steady details plus specialty extras at all large venues, so pretty robust coverage all the time,” said the source, who added that local cops were keeping tabs on developments in DC, where three people were wounded in the shooting outside Nationals Park, prompting frightened fans to flee the stadium.
Fans rush to evacuate after hearing gunfire, during a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. John McDonnell/The Washington Post via APPeople heading into Yankee Stadium Sunday night for the game against the rival Red Sox said they felt relatively safe – but accepted what happened in Washington as part of a dangerous reality in the world.
“It’s New York City – we are never safe,” said Jake Mondi, 17.
Kerri Buckman, who was in town from Pittsburgh, said she was a diehard fan who couldn’t be scared from coming to cheer on the Bronx Bombers.
“I’m coming here no matter what to see my Yankees play,” Buckman, 37, said.
“You have to be alert and mindful of your settings. When you go to big events you have to be alert.”
Yankee Stadium is among the venues with an evacuation plan in place. Frank Franklin II/APRoslyn Simpson, 56, who was visiting the stadium during a trip from Los Angeles, said she found Yankee Stadium “really well covered.
“I think that people who tend to create havoc look for the easiest way possible,” she said. “They’re not very bright, so if they see the presence, police presence, that would take care of it.”
Roslyn Simpson at Yankee Stadium, on July 18, 2021. William MillerBut James Smith, 52, of Bayonne, N.J. said he’d like to see even more security.
“After 9/11 they upped the security,” he said. “I think they should up it even more.”
James Smith at Yankee Stadium, on July 18, 2021. William MillerA security source, however, said there’s only so much cops can do to control panicked crowds.
“Even with the best plans, you can’t always control crowds,” the source said.
“You saw what happened when there were reports of shots fired at JFK,” the source added, referring to 2016, when reports of someone opening fire at JFK Airport sent travelers scrambling in fear.
“Everyone panicked.”
