Dance crew headed to TV show sparks NYC terror scare

Image caption, The Lincoln Tunnel, which opened in 1937, connects New Jersey and New York City

A dance troupe from the US state of Florida has caused a terror scare in New York City after leaving their cars in the Lincoln Tunnel and running to make a TV appearance in Manhattan.

The dancers, who were wearing camouflage costumes, hit heavy traffic in the tunnel after driving roughly 1,000 miles (1,600km) to the city.

They were scheduled to be on the BET network programme 106 & Park.

The team missed the show after police chased them and closed the tunnel.

The five young women and three young men in the group became stuck in traffic in the tunnel, which separates New Jersey and New York City, just two miles from the television studio.

Armed Port Authority police and the FBI-New York Police Department Joint Terrorism Task Force chased the group after they left their adult chaperones to sprint the rest of the way to Manhattan.

After shutting down the tunnel for 45 minutes, police offered to escort the team to the studio, but the show's producers told the dancers that it was too late.