Chaos in courtroom after bedbugs seen crawling up defendant’s neck

A Manhattan courtroom was evacuated on Tuesday after bedbugs were spotted crawling up the neck of a man. Pandemonium erupted after panicked spectators said they saw the insects on the man who was there to answer to a desk-appearance ticket. The sight sent court observers scrambling out of their seats, a witness said.

“People started bolting,” added the witness, a 49-year-old Manhattan woman. “Even the court officers were freaked out. It was disgusting.” The incident happened at about 11:30am. A court officer assigned to one of the courtrooms designated for arraignments saw a commotion in the back and asked what was going on, the witness said. A woman stood up and announced that a man sitting near her was covered with the creepy crawlies, sparking chaos in the benches.

Several observers raced out of the courtroom. The apparent offender also sprinted away from the scene, the witness said. The court officers emptied the three final rows, and the proceedings continued, the witness said. After about 20 minutes, an exterminator arrived and the courtroom was evacuated. When the room was reopened, yellow police tape was cordoning off the three final rows. “People were scratching themselves,” the witness said.

“Everyone in the courtroom was uncomfortable.” “I’m still scratching myself,” added the witness. “Just telling the story I get itchy.” Courts spokesman David Bookstaver said the incident started after “spectators thought they saw bugs jumping from a defendant. Court personnel were notified and immediately inspected the courtroom,” Bookstaver said, noting that there was no sign of the bugs. But the court workers weren’t going to take any chances, Bookstaver said. “As a prophylactic measure, the courtroom was sprayed,” he said.