Video shows the horrifying moment when a false ballistic missile threat alert interrupted a soccer game on TV in Hawaii

Michael Hight/US Navy via Getty

• People in Hawaii woke up to a frightening emergency alert Saturday morning which warned of an impending missile targeting the state. It was a false alarm.  
• The alert interrupted radio and TV stations across the state. 
• Watch the harrowing moment when it disrupted a soccer game. 

People in Hawaii were sent into a panic Saturday morning when they received the following emergency alert on their phones: “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”

State officials quickly retracted the warning and clarified that there was no threat to Hawaii. A second alert, which was sent out roughly 45 minutes after the initial one, said the alert had been a false alarm.

The first, erroneous warning was sent out by the Emergency Alert System (EAS), a government program designed to issue threat alerts to Americans during times of national emergency. It interrupted broadcasters on TV and radio as well. 

A video posted on Twitter showed the moment the alert aired on TV during a soccer game. As the game unfolded, a red banner began moving across the top of the screen, followed by a long beep. A man’s voice then read the emergency alert out loud and described what Hawaiians could do to seek safety. 

“The US Pacific Command has detected a missile threat to Hawaii,” the narrator warned. “A missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. This is not a drill.”

The message went on to say, “If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building.” 

Watch the video here: 

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