On Both Sides of The Camera

So Tuesday was a weird day. I was coming up the exit stairway on the 53rd street and 7th ave subway station on my way to work when in a moment, my eyes began to sting, my throat began to burn and then constrict. I looked around and saw other people having the same reaction to what we quickly realized was some type of toxic fume coming out of the subway. At one point I could no longer keep my eyes open, the fumes stung so badly. I held my breath and with the other passengers, quickly scurried up the remaining stairs toward the street for some fresh air.

When I reached the surface, there were fire trucks and police cars everywhere. Firefighters in gas masks were running into the station. There was lots of confusion and a bit of panic as people’s minds raced- Subway fire? Toxic Spill? Terrorist Attack? Thoughts of the Japanese subway sarin attack of 1995 and September 11th were on everyone’s minds. The first thing people did as they exited the subway and were able to breath again, was pull out cellphones to call loved ones. I did the same.

The police on site asked me to stay and wait for medics who were on their way to check those who experienced the fumes. Soon I was waiting my turn near the back of an ambulance for them to check my pressure and breathing. Then an interesting thing happened. I found myself surrounded by news cameras with eager local reporters asking for details of what happened. I recognized a few, from NY local channels NBC 4 and Fox 5, ABC 7. I knew what they were looking for because I’d be looking for it too- a quick, clear description from a witness about what he/she saw, felt and thought. So I helped them out and told them what I experienced.

Over my mini shock and the weird feeling of being the subject of news as opposed to reporting it, I called my own cameraman to the scene to get B-roll (background video) for use in our news program later that day. I walked around and interviewed the fire chief, people on the scene, and other witnesses.

That afternoon, I sat in front of our studio camera connected live to the Miami broadcast. Interestingly enough, I found it difficult to flip from reporting the event to describing how I experienced it. There is a level of disconnect that a reporter has that allows him/her to narrate the events of the day, and add emphasis and importance in a way that will connect with viewers. However, when one experiences something first hand, it changes the narration because different things become emphasized. At one point I had to take a 5 second breather as I searched for the right word to use during the live Q&A.

Everything is ok of course. It turns out the fumes were caused by a burnt escalator motor, and no one was injured. Later that day, I received emails from friends who saw me being interviewed on the different channels. So ironically, today I went from subway commuter, to witness, to reporter, all before breakfast….