It was America’s next top melee.
An open casting call for the reality television program "America's Next Top Model" turned into mayhem on Saturday afternoon in Midtown Manhattan. Fights broke out, three people were arrested and at least six others suffered minor injuries after they were pushed down in a crush of thousands of aspiring models waiting in line to be discovered.
The police did not say what caused the disturbance outside the audition site at the Park Central Hotel, at 210 West 55th Street, but would-be contestants for the 13th season of the popular program blamed a lack of organization, frayed nerves and a brief panic that erupted when someone screamed that a smoking overheated car was on fire and about to explode.
“Everyone got thrown everywhere,” said Annina Manttari, 23, of Hackensack, N.J. “People were getting run over.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/nyregion/15model.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion
An open casting call for the reality television program "America's Next Top Model" turned into mayhem on Saturday afternoon in Midtown Manhattan. Fights broke out, three people were arrested and at least six others suffered minor injuries after they were pushed down in a crush of thousands of aspiring models waiting in line to be discovered.
The police did not say what caused the disturbance outside the audition site at the Park Central Hotel, at 210 West 55th Street, but would-be contestants for the 13th season of the popular program blamed a lack of organization, frayed nerves and a brief panic that erupted when someone screamed that a smoking overheated car was on fire and about to explode.
“Everyone got thrown everywhere,” said Annina Manttari, 23, of Hackensack, N.J. “People were getting run over.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/nyregion/15model.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion
