Prayer Vigil For Israel Turns Chaotic As Panic Sweeps Through Florida Crowd

Nina Golgowski
·2 min read
4

Panic took over a Florida prayer vigil for victims of the terror attacks in Israel on Monday night, resulting in multiple injuries after the crowd abruptly took off in a stampede, authorities said.

Students had gathered at the University of Florida in Gainesville to pay their respects to the hundreds of people killed in Israel since Saturday when police said the crowd became spooked just before 9 p.m.

Someone attending the vigil fainted, prompting others to ask for someone to call 911, the university’s police department said in a statement.

“The call was misunderstood by the crowd, which dispersed in a panic,” police said.

Video taken moments before the rush and posted to social media shows attendees quietly listening to a speaker when a wave of screams emerges from the distance, prompting everyone to run.

The university has one of the largest Jewish student populations in the world, according to local station WCJB, leading to many being on edge due to the ongoing violence overseas.

Nick VanZandt, a University of Florida student who shot video and took photos of the scene’s chaotic aftermath, told HuffPost there was “some tension” and “very emotional scenes” prior to the panic, which left him with “a few scrapes and bruises.”

People are seen attending a vigil at the University of Florida on Monday night.
People are seen attending a vigil at the University of Florida on Monday night.

People are seen attending a vigil at the University of Florida on Monday night.

There didn’t appear to be anyone protesting the event, however, and local law enforcement handled the situation well, he added.

“They sent a lot of people to the scene because they weren’t sure what was happening,” he said of first responders.

Roughly two dozen people sustained minor injuries amid the chaos, according to local officials.

Approximately 20 people arrived at an emergency room at the nearby University of Florida Health within a 15-minute period for related injuries, the university’s Health spokesperson Payton Wesner said in an email Tuesday.

Shoes and other personal items are seen scattered on the ground following Monday night's vigil.
Shoes and other personal items are seen scattered on the ground following Monday night's vigil.

Shoes and other personal items are seen scattered on the ground following Monday night's vigil.

“Upon an initial evaluation, the injuries seemed to be mostly minor bumps or lacerations. No one was admitted,” said Wesner.

Campus police also said at least five people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. They added that they have no reason to believe that there was any malicious intent behind what happened.

University Police Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick in a statement said, “It was an accident that was misinterpreted by the crowd that led to panic.”

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