A woman trying to sell live crickets and worms on the D train in New York City Wednesday night set off a chain of events straight out of a commuting nightmare.

While the woman asked subway riders whether they would like to buy any insects, she was allegedly pushed by teenagers, the New York Post reports. Upset, the woman tossed her box into the air, sending worms and crickets across the car.

People were screaming and trying to avoid the bugs when someone pulled the emergency brake. The train then stopped on the Manhattan Bridge and the air conditioner shut off, leaving passengers unable to escape the insects and the August heat.

“It was pandemonium…It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen on a train,” Chris Calabrese, 29, told the Post. “Everyone had crickets on their arms. My girlfriend was crying.”

After 30 minutes, the train continued to the next station, where it was met by dozens of police officers. The MTA told the Post that security removed the woman selling bugs from the train.

[New York Post]

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com.