Penn Station Meltdown During Stampede Makes It 'Target For Terrorists,' Sen. Schumer Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — At least 16 people were injured after a false gun scare prompted mass confusion, hysteria and a stampede in Penn Station on the eve of Easter weekend — but the situation could have been much worse.

On Sunday, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer slammed "across-the-board flaws, poor coordination, poor staffing and vulnerabilities" which contributed to the Penn Station scare and could contribute to a "disaster" should Penn Station be the target of a real attack.

"We must make sure our transportation hubs, like Penn Station, are best prepared to handle the very real threats that confront us," Schumer said Sunday. "Public spaces are a real challenge to law enforcement and any mishap could prove deadly. That’s why we need to make sure our law enforcement has the resources, training and coordination required to better protect the public.”

One contributing factor to the Penn Station panic is a lack of coordination among the multiple law enforcement agencies tasked with guarding the transit hub. Schumer called for the creation of a centralized command center in the station, to be used by Amtrak police, the NYPD, the MTA and NJ Transit. (For updates on the situation at Penn and other local news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for Patch's daily newsletters and breaking news alerts in your NYC neighborhood.)

According to multiple reports, the mass panic broke out when Amtrak police Tased a man in a waiting area. Witnesses mistakenly thought shots were fired, causing the entire transit hub to devolve into chaos.

Here's a video showing Amtrak police sitting on the guy they Tased:

On the night of the panic, Amtrak did not return multiple calls for information on what happened.

The company's only comment on the whole debacle came in the form of a single Tweet. It said: "Individual was subdued by Amtrak Police inside NYP and is in police custody. The station remains open."

With Amtrak initially silent, agencies such as the NYPD were unable to provide Patch or other news agencies with any immediate information on the panic, as NYPD officers were not directly involved in the takedown that kicked off the stampede.

The lack of communication between departments leaves the 650,000 daily Penn Station commuters in constant danger, Schumer said.

"Because last weekend’s incident at Penn Station was a false alarm, we now have the chance to put this response under the microscope and zoom in on what went right and what went wrong," Schumer said Sunday. "And at first glance, it is an absolute train wreck in terms of the lack of coordination, direction and coherence."

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images News/Getty Images