Man Throws Smoke Bomb at Diners and Escapes Through Subway Hatch

Published at 2:29 pm, October 11, 2014 | Updated at 11:06 am, October 22, 2015

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Police in New York were searching Saturday for a man who popped up from a sidewalk subway hatch and lobbed a smoke bomb at a pair of restaurants, sending diners scrambling.

The man was captured on video emerging from a hatch used for emergency exits from the New York subway system. The hatches are used by emergency responders to evacuate riders from the subway if necessary.

On security video, diners were seen fleeing their tables as smoke started to overtake the outdoor eating areas for the Da Silvano restaurant and the Bar Pitti restaurant. According to the New York Police Department, no one was injured.

One of those at the restaurant was actress Rose McGowan, who tweeted about her experience shortly after the smoke cleared.

Someone just threw two red smoke bombs into the restaurant I was eating in. Eyes are burning. #NYCWHAT

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2014

Police said they were looking for a white male approximately 20 years old with blond wavy hair.

While diners were unharmed, at least one expert said law enforcement should be concerned that the man was able to both exit and enter the emergency subway gate without being captured.

Former FBI agent Brad Garrett said the event could be a good learning experience for authorities to understand how emergency services might respond in a similar attack.

“It’s clearly a wake-up call,” said Garrett, an ABC News contributor. “When you get into a city of the size of New York or even just the one borough of Manhattan, you literally cannot cover every single avenue. You do the best you can and try to learn from every situation and figure out where you have a vulnerability.”

The New York Police Department Public Information Office told ABC News they had no updates on the case or whether added security will be used to protect subway emergency exits.

Staff at both Bar Pitti and Da Silvanos declined to discuss the incident.

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