Government exercise with low-flying planes creates panic in lower Manhattan

Govt. plane exercise causes scare in Manhattan

NEW YORK — A government exercise involving low-flying planes has created a panic in New York City.

Two fighter jets escorted a low-flying Boeing 747 over lower Manhattan on Monday as part of a federal government photo opportunity.

That’s the same part of town where hijacked passenger jets crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

John Leitner, a trader at the New York Mercantile Exchange building, says people began running outside when they saw the planes around 10 a.m.

About 1,000 workers gathered along the Hudson River until a security officer told them it was a planned exercise.

Leitner says workers got no official advance notice. But the FAA says it notified city law enforcers.