DOD Photo Op Causes New York City Building Evacuations

[Rockville]

New York-
The appearance of a plane escorted by two fighter jets in lower Manhattan was part of a "photo op," and not a cause for alarm, a Federal Aviation Administration officials said, but that didn't stop several area buildings from evacuating.

The exercise involved two F-16s escorting President Obama's Air Force One backup plane in the vicinity of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, Reuters reported. FAA spokesman Jim Peters told the Wall Street Journal that the maneuver was not an emergency and was coordinated in advance with the FAA and state and local officials.

Obama was not on board.

One businesswoman, who works near the waterfront in Jersey City, N.J., told FOX News that it looked like a plane was going to hit their building, and everyone in her office ran down the stairs because they were "frightened."

The New York Police Department confirmed the plane was part of a military photo shoot and buildings were being evacuated because they have their own security that thought it may have been something else.

Click here to read more on this story from the Wall Street Journal.(Includes photographs)

Fox News,
Monday , April 27, 2009