THE terrifying moment JFK Airport was evacuated on Monday following fears of gunfire was described as a 'nightmare' by one passenger from Widnes

Zack Young, who previously lived in Cronton, was at the airport on Monday waiting to catch a flight to Orlando when chaos ensued.

The 26-year-old, who moved to New York in January to take on a consultancy job, said: "I was due to come home to visit the family so I decided to break it up by travelling to Orlando.

"There were loads of flight delays because of the weather as there were a few storms nearby.

"We had already got on our flight but the pilot told us to get off so we could stretch our legs.

"I started to turn on my laptop and I heard loads of noise towards the other end of the terminal followed by screaming and lots of people running.

"There were hundreds of people running towards us and hiding in what every spaces they could find.

"We then heard over the Tannoy that there was a security alert."

This triggered a wave of panic across the airport with passengers hiding in cupboards and under tables.

Shortly after there was a second Tannoy warning people not to move before armed police could be seen running to the other side of the terminal.

"People started running and leaving their stuff," said the former Wade Deacon pupil.

"This is when it hit me how serious it could be as people were actually fearing for their lives.

"It was crazy. It was like the kind of thing you see on TV."

Passengers were then marched out of the airport in single file with their arms in the air.

All passengers were searched at two separate locations.

"When you look back it all seems like a nightmare," he added.

Investigators remain unsure exactly how the commotion spread across the airport campus but it has been confirmed that certain terminals were evacuated as a precaution.

There has been no evidence of a shooting but some international media have reported that it could have been caused after some passengers mistook cheering Usain Bolt for gunfire.