Low-Flying Jet In Manhattan A Photo-Op

A low-flying Boeing 747 escorted by two fighter jets as part of a federal government photo op over lower Manhattan has caused a brief panic among office workers.

John Leitner, a floor trader at the New York Mercantile Exchange Building, says workers received no official prior announcement about the exercise. He says everyone panicked when they saw the low-flying planes and began running out of the building around 10 a.m. Monday.

Click here for pictures of the plane.

About 1,000 workers gathered along the Hudson River esplanade until a security officer with a bullhorn told them it was a planned exercise.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the government was conducting a photo op involving two F-16 jets and a 747. The FAA notified city law enforcement about the mission.