It’s unclear why, but 30,000 bees were attracted to a single hot-dog stand in Times Square on Tuesday afternoon.
The strange incident prompted police to shut down part of the busy area and call a beekeeper as tourists looked on.
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New York police commissioner James O’Neill sought to calm everyone down amid the news by deploying some puns.
“Fear not, New Yorkers and tourists,” he tweeted. “Midtown Manhattan is all abuzz about NYPD’s ability to bee a full-service organization.”
O’Neill explained police were working to humanely handle the situation.
According to The New York Post, NYPD officer Michael Laurino was in charge of handling the situation. He wore protective gear as he slowly sucked the bees into a vacuum.
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Lauriano, who is known as the NYPD’s “bee guy,” told the news organization that the process would only take a few minutes.
“We try to get as many as we can,” Lauriano said. “We like to keep the families together.”
Several tourists and locals stopped by the hot-dog stand to watch the incident unfold — but they kept a safe distance.
“Literally, the craziest thing I’ve seen,” said Diego Mendez from New Jersey. “And I’m allergic to bees, so I want to see it, but keep my distance away from it. But it’s definitely the craziest thing I’ve seen.”
Simone, a tourist from London who did not offer her last name, said, “It’s a bit scary. It’s scary. What’s it doing in the middle of town?”
— With files from Reuters