It was hilarious as residents of New York and visitors around Times Square ran helter-skelter on Tuesday night as the sound of a backfiring motorcycle was mistaken for multiple gunshots from a shooter.

According to reports, people running in panic, kept shouting: ”shooter! shooter!!”.

The sounds could be heard at the Crossroads of the World at around 9.30 pm on Tuesday, with multiple backfires on the street near Eighth Avenue and West 42nd Street, according to the NYPD.

Footage seen by the police showed crowds of people running in a panic, with some people flocking towards West 47th Street and Seventh Avenue.

One pedestrian was injured from a fall sustained while running during the frenzy, police told the outlet, while kids were also separated from their parents.

Witnesses claimed that they watched people screaming and falling over one another as they ran southwards on Broadway.

The NYPD’s Midtown North Precinct tweeted at 10.09 pm: ‘There is no#ActiveShooter in #TimesSquare. Motorcycles backfiring while passing through sounded like gun shots.

‘We are receiving multiple 911 calls. Please don’t panic. The Times Square area is very safe! @NYPDnews @NYPDTimesSquare.’

A construction management company called @TheDanielsGroup tweeted: ‘People fleeing and hiding from #timessquare after suspected live shooter #NewYork we caught this from our hotel bar 10th floor #police confirmed this was not a live shooter #timessquare #NYC.’

Some social media users reported hearing someone scream ‘shooter’ after hearing the backfiring motorcycle, according to CBS.

One Twitter user claimed: ‘So we’re in Times Square and everyone starts running and screaming “SHOOTER.”