PLEASANTVILLE, N.J. -- Two people were hospitalized after gunfire broke out during a high school football game in New Jersey on Friday night, sending terrified fans diving under bleachers.
The shooting happened during a game between Camden and Pleasantville high schools, CNN affiliate WPVI-TV reported. It started at the end of the third quarter.
Both victims -- a young male and a "juvenile" suffered serious injuries, Pleasantville Police Chief Sean Riggin said.
Several Pleasantville players told CNN affiliate KYW-TV they initially thought the gunshots were fireworks, but once they realized what the sounds were, they ran through a fence.
"We just saw everybody from the crowd running," Keon Henry, a senior who plays football at Pleasantville, told KYW-TV .
"Coach was telling us get down but we didn't want to get down. We wanted to get somewhere safe inside the school, so we all ran up here, ran through the fence and then went through here."
Video from WPVI-TV shows football players and attendees scrambling after shots rang out. People could be seen hopping fences, diving under bleachers and lying down on the field as the chaos unfolded.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Gun Shots fired at the South Jersey High School Football playoff game at Pleasantville
Multiple people reported injured, including a young boy.
Pleasantville & Camden Players, coaches as well as Fans were running for safety
The game has been suspended@6abc pic.twitter.com/EKOXS4mb6l
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) November 16, 2019
Riggin said there were several police officers and administrators at the game but did not give additional details about the circumstances of the shooting.
Police are coordinating with the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, said Matthew Hartman, spokesman for Pleasantville police. The Newark office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted its agents were responding.
