NEWPORT BEACH – Moviegoers panicked and fled after a teen brandished what they thought was a chainsaw 40 minutes into a showing of “The Gift” at Edwards Big Newport 6 across from Fashion Island on Saturday night.

“All of a sudden, someone opened the emergency exit, and yelled ‘I’ve got a chainsaw’ and cranked it up,” Kyndall Aldama, 23, of Huntington Beach said Sunday. “No one got up. Then he cranked it again, and everyone started screaming. Someone else yelled they saw a gun.”

Aldama, who was seated in the middle of the theater, said she was pushed to the ground and trampled in the melee.

“At least eight people just stepped on and over me. Everyone thought it was like ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’” she said.

Since the incident occurred at around 10:50 p.m. Saturday, social media has blown up with comments, photos and accounts of what happened.

Yelp user Nader M. posted about the incident on the Edwards Big Newport 6 page.

“In the middle of the 9:35 p.m. showing of the The Gift on 8/8/15, a man started a chainsaw and emerged from the back exit (facing the movie screen) screaming at movie patrons, sending the crowd into a frenzy,” he wrote. “The man appeared to also have a rifle carried over his shoulder. He retreated back into the exit, but not without sending all movie patrons pushing their way out of the theater, stepping on and over those who fell to the ground. In a matter of minutes, the theater was surrounded by heavily armed police.”

Representatives with the theater could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sana Mirza said in a Facebook post that halfway through the movie a man with a chainsaw and rifle emerged, sending moviegoers into a panic.

“The entire theater crowd was screaming and falling to the ground while trying to run out,” Mirza posted. “Not only did I fall while running but I hit my face on the floor and got trampled.”

Aldama, who posted photos of her injuries on Facebook, said a man picked her up and carried her to the foyer.

From there, she hobbled outside and found a police officer across the street writing a ticket to a motorist, she said.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Tracy McKenzie would only confirm that police responded to the location and identified some teens who may have been using a leaf blower as a prank. He would not give further details.

“It was being reported as unknown trouble and loud noise that caused people to run from the theater,” he said.

Police are continuing to investigate.

Staff writer Lauren Williams contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254, eritchie@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @lagunaini