i'm ntessa brewer. all of our stories have been caught on camera. they're situations no one wants to find themselves in. situations no one wants to confront. but what would you do if you came upon a man trapped inside a burning car engulfed in flames? >> i knew eventually the car was probably going to explode. >> or if you watched a woman silently slumped to the floor of an emergency room. >> this was so not violent but so violent. >> what if you witnessed a life or death struggle over a gun? >> i never grabbed a gun before but i knew i better be the one who had it. >> or if you were part of a

crowd patiently waiting for a pizza when all hell breaks loose. >> got the concussion the first time. >> what if you witnessed a 78-year-old man smashed to the ground by hit and run drivers. i'm just begging please come forward. >> suddenly, without warning new york's grand central station came to a bizarre and screeching halt? >> they're not moving. in each instance of drama, danger, decision, would you get involved or look away? would you help or merely watch? "caught on camera" what would you do. usually news photographers record a story. they don't intentionally become part of it. one afternoon on a freeway, jack

klein now if he didn't become part of the story, a man might burn to death in front of his eyes. >> the madness. the misery. the mayhem. just another typical day on an l.a. freeway. but then an accident, an inferno and a man trapped inside. >> oh, my god. >> his fate left in the hand of bystanders forced to choose between saving him or saving themselves. what will they do? it's early afternoon on freeway 170, october 16, 2005, when the drama begins. >> i was traveling on southbound when it stopped drizzling. i was rolling the tape. i was trying to shoot some rain. >> freelance cameraman jack klein is with his daughter when he sees something alarming up ahead. >> i see a car slip and slide and go sideways and hit a

divider. i seen some smoke coming out of the car. i parked my car, left the camera. ran toward him. he was moaning after he came to. i thought his foot was stuck. >> lapd officers paul way mire and jeff jensen also see the accident. >> once we got on the freeway, we saw a multivehicle collision and vehicles were all over the freeway. so we pulled up and we saw smoke and people running around. everybody ran up to us and said somebody is trapped in the vehicle. >> that somebody is 22-year-old alexis ray know so. >> i advised my partner, jensen, to grab the fire extinguisher and i ran down to see what i could do. he was trapped. it was pulled around his legs and waist area. there was no way he was going to get out on his own. as jensen got there with the fire extinguisher, i had been working to try and move his legs to a better position to extract

him from the vehicle. >> it was hot. it was undescribable in a way. every time we pulled him out, tried to get fresh air. the black smoke was already building inside the car. >> as the fire burns out of control, the officers, jack klein and others, frantically try to pry the man out of the vehicle. >> he was hit from the side and his door was squashed in. there was no way you can open the door to get him out. >> they try to rip open the hood of the car. >> i told them, don't, don't open it. more oxygen, more flame. at the same time, we're thinking what if this guy doesn't make it and everything is going fast. >> we hold our breath because of the smoke. we just took turns trying to maneuver his legs into a position where we can get him out. as time progressed, the vehicle got a lot hotter and then the flames started igniting and the engine blocked. that's when the sense of urgency

stepped in. >> alexis reynoso is pinned inside and can't move. >> the gentleman filming this event, he would film part of the time and then he would set it down and get more fire extinguishers. then he would pick up the camera and film again. he was a big help. >> the extinguishers are now empty. >> i noticed the flames were getting stronger and there was no fire extinguisher left. i was looking for a truck that might have a bigger extinguisher. jack sees a gray hound has a bus stopped. >> anybody have fear ix continuing wisher. there's a guy burning inside the car. give it to me, guys. come on, guys. >> as they try in vain to douse the flames, the situation goes from bad to horrific. imt the flames started

spreading. my feet were extremely hot. i couldn't figure why. when i looked down the undercarriage of the vehicle was now engulfed in flames along with the engine compartment. i looked in the vehicle briefly and saw the flames were starting to come up underneath the dashboard and were starting to touch the man's feet and legs. >> one thing going through my mind, we got to get this guy out of there alive quick as possible. safely as possible. but at the same time, you're thinking, what if. >> looked at my partner and several of the citizens kind of moved away because they saw how bad it was getting. a couple of the citizens hung in there and i told my partner, we got to get him out or he's going to die. >> time is running out. they're facing with a monumental decision. do you risk your own tloif save say stranger? >> what was driving me was the flames. it was driving me crazy. had no feelings of anything just

to get this guy out of there alive. >> that's where it got pretty intense. once i saw the flames, i knew that every car has a gas tank and i knew the flames were covering the gas tank. i knew eventually the car was probably going to explode. i ensured him that we would not leave him and get him out. i wasn't going to go back on my word if that meant we stayed there until the car blew up, that's what we did. we weren't going to give up. >> knowing the car would explode at any moment and with firefighters hung up in the snarled traffic, with all their lives on the line, they give it one last potentially bone breaking heave. >> you're coming out. >> they gave one final valiant effort. and were able to extract him right when the car exploded. >> i was so happy that he made

it out. it seemed like i was reborn. i had the feeling when the guy was on the ground. >> you be fine, you be fine, buddy. good job guys. >> once we got him out of the vehicle and my partner and the citizens got him to safety, i looked back at the car and really realized, boy, we came really close on this one. it doesn't hit you until that point when you look back at it and you think wow, that was really close. >> the man suffers three fathers to his pelvis but escapes with his life. >> it was part luck and definitely wouldn't have had the same outcome hadn't the citizens helped us. i don't think the outcome would have been the same. luckily the citizens were there and helped us. otherwise, it would have been a different outcome. they made the difference, absolutely. >> to think about life, how

important life is. >> you be fine, you be fine, buddy. good job, guys. coming up next, what would you do if you saw a woman lying face down on an emergency room floor? >> a security guard wheels himself in on a chair, round the corner of the wall, looks at her and wheels himself right back out. >> and later, a life or death fight in a parking lot over a loaded gun. >> i didn't have time to think about my own safety. i didn't have time. >> when "caught on camera: what would you do?" returns. get the technology they love, on the network they deserve. and video chat with up to 9 of your friends with the galaxy nexus by samsung, or get the samsung stratosphere, and for a limited time, get twice the data for the same low price. verizon.

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when you think about awful things happening, you expect violence. and this was so not violent, but so violent. >> a 49-year-old woman collapses on a psychiatric emergency room floor. surveillance video captures the

moments when others decide to intervene or not. and their decisions have dire consequences. >> she was a really beautiful person. in and out. she loved children. she loved them with a passion. >> she comes to new york city in 1995 hoping to find work that will allow her to send money home to her six children in jamaica. >> she was by all accounts, heartbroken to be separated from her family for so many careers. >> i think maybe one of the reasons why she clung to other people's children, it is because she had left her six children in jamaica. being with other children filled that void. >> she finds a second home with

the jesus is lord ministries in brooklyn and works at daycare centers in the area. >> she was very good with communication with children. she would be a teacher, counselor, whatever. she always do a good job. >> but she has to contend with her own demons. she has psychological problems. at times, showing dangerous signs of agitation and psychosis. in june 2008, she loses her job and is evicted from her apartment. in the early hours of june 18th. she breaks. >> everything just changed. she changed from one personality into the next. just agitated. >> she's out of control and pastor marilyn johnson calls 911. emergency medical technicians

arrive. she's admitted involuntarily to the psychiatric emergency room of the kings county hospital center in brooklyn. >> one thing about the psychiatric emergency room, it's not like an ordinary emergency room. once you're taken in, they won't let you out without permission from a doctor. so if something is going wrong in there, you're a prisoner and you're totally at the mercy of the hospital staff. >> it's june 19th, 5:32 in the morning. she has been waiting for a bed for nearly 24 hours slumps to the floor. none of the patients move to help her. >> some people have asked why didn't anybody who was in the waiting room do anything? but chances are they were all medicated and out of it. >> she lice unattended for 20

minutes and then at 5:52. >> what happens to her is nothing. except for that a security guard comes by and sees her on the floor. he doesn't do anything. doesn't go near her, doesn't do anything that would indicate any concern about the well-being of this individual who has come to the hospital for treatment. >> the security guard looks in and then apparently walks away. ten minutes later, she's in distress kicking her legs and moving back and forth. another eight minutes go by and then. >> a security guard wheels himself in on a chair, round the corner of the wall, looks at her and wheels himself right back out. he couldn't be bothered to get up. he didn't go over to her. once again, nothing was done.

nothing was done. >> at 6:33, a doctor ambles by, looks at her and apparently walks away. at 6:35, a nurse enters the room. she kicks the woman to see if she responds. >> you know, i'm no expert on medical practice, but common sense tells me that medical people ought to have some other tools at their disposal besides kicking somebody who is lying on the floor to find out whether they're dead. >> after being admitted the day before, she has been unattended by the staff for nearly 24 hours. now the nurse alerts others who finally come to check on her. but she is dead.

a according to the medical examiner, she's killed by blood clots that can be caused by long periods of physical inactivity. >> we have to keep asking ourselves, why didn't anybody help. i'm not sure we'll ever know why. we may find out what went on in each individual's mind, you know, the security dparglards, nurses, the doctor. nobody should check their conscience at the door. >> the hospital has also been accused of falsifying green's medical records. they record that at 6:00 a.m. she got up and went to the bathroom. and that at 6:20 she was sitting quietly in the waiting room. but the camera doesn't lie. it bears witness to what was really happening and how the silent decisions not to act may

have led to green's death. since the incident, seven employees have been fired or suspended. in a press release, the new york city health and hospitals corporation which oversees the hospital admit that they failed esmin green. her family sues the corporation for negligence and is awarded $2 million in a settlement in 2009. esmin's death prompted the hospital to institute changes to help prevent tragedies such as hers from happening again. staffing has been increased. and waiting times have been significantly reduced. esmin's death was a needless death. but she didn't die in vain. her death sparked the reform of conditions at kings county hospital. hopefully, as a result of her death, nobody will ever be

treated this way. >> something is missing. up next, what's it like to try to wrestle a loaded gun from a bad guy? >> i saw the gun, i never grabbed a gun before. but i knew that i better be the one who had it. >> later, a plastering punch out at a pizza parlor. >> got the concussion when he hit me the first time. >> when caught on camera: what would you do? rufrns. returns. e tones and highlights. [ gigi ] try nice 'n easy colorblend foam. get permanent dimensional color in a drip-free delight! oooohh! [ gigi ] our foam penetrates hair and locks in color. for tones and highlights that last. drips? dropped! grays? gone! why put up with drips when there's foam at your fingertips. [ gigi ] try nice 'n easy colorblend foam. no other foam color lasts longer. [ female announcer ] from the color experts at clairol.

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what makes someone a hero? >> i saw the gun. i never grabbed a gun before. but i knew that i better be the one who had it. >> is it timing, luck, guts? >> the man had already had a burly body. >> for these three people, it was all of that. perhaps a bit more.

linden, texas, mother's day, may 11, 2003. assistant chief of police sharon gillespie makes a routine traffic stop at a convenience store parking lot. it's all caught on the dashboard camera in her police car. >> she's a very good officer and she's a smart, real smart person. real caring type person. >> after being stopped, the driver immediately exit the vehicle and surprisingly begins walking away. gillespie calls him back asking for some identification. >> and when she stopped him, she didn't know for sure who she was and she asked him for i.d. he said he didn't have i.d. but he said his last name. >> he said his last name is gray. he fits -- he was wanted for assaulting his girlfriend with a

knife. she asks him to put his hand on the trunk of the car. >> he placed his hand on the car. she took the handcuffs out and he spun around to fight her: she grabbed him by the shirt and told him you don't want to do this. you're going to get yourself in more trouble. >> gillespie grabs gray by the shirt but gray decides to make what could be a life or death maneuver. he tears off gillespie vest make row phone and goes for her gun. >> reached and grabbed the gun. as soon as he did that, she tried to grab hold of him and they started tussling. >> it's a .40 caliber glock. gillespie knows if gray gains control of it, he could shoot her. but gray is having trouble. he's trying to find the safety on the gun hoping to release it. while gillespie desperately holds on for dear life. >> he's got the pistol in his hand and he's trying to put it in her face. she's got a vest on. she's got ahold of the barrel. the only reason the gun couldn't

go off is because she had ahold of the barrel, she's pushing back to get it out of her face. when you push back on the glock it won't fire until it's locked in place. the minute he locks in place, with him pulling on the trigger, it would have went off. >> gray has the advantage. gillespie is off balance, bloody. the gun is pointing at her face. >> i could feel god moving my hand and feet. i've told people this before and some of them think i'm crazy. it was too perfect. i was there at the exact perfect second to do what i did. patrick dennis -- a former monk and the right man in the right place at the right time. >> when i pulled into the parking lot, i could see that the officer had pulled over a man and was checking his i.d. i didn't think anything about it. when i got to the front door just as i was going in, i saw

that he was slapping at her and grabbing for her gun. >> that's when copeland makes a decision that could have deadly consequences. >> as soon as i got out there, i saw that they were struggling and any man who is struggling with a woman, i'm going to go help the woman. especially if he's two feet taller than she is. whatever was going to happen, it was going to happen to her. >> copeland deliberately walks into the line of fire calmly and almost serenely, he wrestles the gun out of gray's hands. >> he would have killed her. he would have killed her. he pulled the trigger had her face twice. the only thing that saved her was the slide on the glock was back just a little bit. >> before he grabbed the gun with two hands and twisted it, he cornered the gun and told him to get down on the ground. >> but the fight is far from over. gillespie and gray are still

struggling. that's when rector appears. >> well, i had taken my four kids grocery shopping. a man came in and said a lady needed help. so i kicked my flipflops off and went outside and there was ms. gillespie in bad trouble. >> leash i can't isn't in a particularly good mood this morning. >> earlier that day my husband got me a happy birthday card and that was mother's day. that's not my birthday. i was already upset. i had to take the four kids to buy groceries in my little bitty car and so i was not in a good mood already. >> and her mood is about to get worse. >> and my children said get him, mama, get him. >> that's when she turns the free for all into a texas hog tie and gray is finally subdued. >> what would you do if you came

upon a struggle like the one pat copeland and lecia rector encounter encountered? what does it take to be a hero? >> didn't have time to think about my own safety. i didn't have time. it was too important. >> i don't feel like a hero. when you have five kids, when you get through each day, it's heroic. >> andrew lee gray was convicted, given two life sentences for attempted murder and aggravated assault. though the encounter has been hard on sharon gillespie, she exhibited astounding courage and resolve throughout the blood chilling fight. >> she's alive. she's well. she's been good for herself. ms. gillespie is an -- she's got a big heart too. >> the kind much generous heart shared by pat copeland and lecia rector. getting involved might have been all in a day's work for her. >> she somehow got him turned

over and i just got control of the man and helped to handcuff him and then i went about finishing checking out my groceries. next up on caught on camera: what would you do? a knockout punch in a pizza joint has everyone looking away. >> if one person would have stood up, things could have turned out a bit differently. >> later, a horrible hit and run in broad daylight. >> my father is fighting for his life. i would like the public to help us. >> when caught on camera, what would you do continues. ith thres of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

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merry christmas to you. here are the top stories. mitt romney still the man to beat in new hampshire according to a new boston dploeb poll. 39% of likely republican voters support him. newt gingrich and ron paul tied with 17%.

new hampshire holds its primary on january 10th. less than a third of the u.s. will have a white christmas. but snow is falling in part of japan. nearly 20 inches in some areas with another 10 expected by tuesday. more news later. now back to caught on camera. welcome back to caught on camera. i'm contessa brewer. so far we've seen everyday people willing to risk their own lives to save say stranger. we've seen the neglect toward a dying woman reported by cameras in a psychiatric emergency room. in the next story, people in the pizza parlor are unexpectedly faced with a situation. >> it is perhaps one of the most unexpected and brutal knockout punches ever caught on camera. outside a boxing ring. >> got the concussion when he hit me the first time. >> what's more shocking may be

what happens next. >> july 31st, 2004. da vinci's pizza parlor, akron, ohio. it's 2:00 in the morning and joseph scar pinot, the man in the striped shirt is about to have a really bad day. it begins slowly when ms. pristine a sims enters and abruptly cuts in line. >> when she entered the pizzeria, she went to the front. i wasn't paying attention much to what she was doing. >> joseph gets a call from his wife from the car outside. my wife was wondering how much longer. somebody just jumped in front of the line, it's going to be longer. she goes who jumped in front of the line. that lady walked in, in camouflage pant. >> ms. simms is in a nasty mood. had she hears the comment, she decides to make a scene, a very

big scene. >> what you saying? say what you're saying. >> she immediately became enraged got right up into the victim's face was using foul language against him, was hitting him. poking at him. just screaming like a lunatic at him. >> joe sif tries to ignore her as the woman bellows for her boyfriend outside. >> then the manager gets involved. the woman was loud and swearing and out of control when the person working at the pizza shop just started saying get out of here. >> hey you need to go. >> you need to leave. get out of my restaurant. she then just got hostile with him. and to put an exclamation on her argument, she spits in his face. the manager asks her to leave but the woman is on a roll.

that's when mark jones, the boyfriend enters. mr. jones stands 6'4", weighs in at about 295 pounds. he also happens to be an ex-con. meanwhile, joseph scar pinot is still on the phone with his wife. >> my wife tells me she's coming in. i said no, stay in the car. at that point she pokes me in the face. >> as the woman is using all her foul language and acting out of control, you see a number of other men who are also customers, they're just standing there. >> everyone seems oblivious. not one of the men in the crowd says a word. not one gets involved. almost everyone's eyes are averted. as the woman continues to poke and provoke joseph. >> i switched the hands of my phone and i slapped the counter.

i said, what's wrong with you? what's your problem? just get your pizza, get out of here. mark jones approaches me. >> check him. >> when mark jones approaches me, my phone rings, then hangs up. i go to redial the phone. he's like what's the problem? i'm not really paying attention much to what he's doing. >> that's when mr. jones unloads a wicked roundhouse. blind siding killer, sucker punch that fractures joseph's teeth and immediately gives him a cerebral concussion. but it doesn't stop there. jones continues to pulverize his victim. >> got the concussion right when he hit me the first time. like falling out the door and i came back in. i had no idea what was going on. it's a little bit disheartening to see people stand around and do nothing. >> the video clearly shows at least six other men that are all

standing around as the victim is just being brutalized. there's not a lot of reaction. you can see them all kind of looking. i think maybe in shock. not quite knowing what was going on or what to do. >> still, no one lifts a finger to help joseph. >> mark jones, after violently punching the victim probably seven or eight times until the victim is down on the ground, just stops. the victim is laying there unconscious, i believe. he then is in search of his cell phone and he takes the victim who must be blocking his path to get out of the pizza shop and he drags his body out of the way. and then exits the pizza shop. >> as soon as the woman and mark jones exit the store, police are

there to arrest them. pristinea sims was convicted of an assault, misdemeanor assault and convicted of a felony assault. >> she served six months in jail and put on probation. mark jones was convicted of felonious assault and sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. >> within a month of his release, he broke into the woman's home and attacked her. >> at his trial, a jury found mark jones guilty of aggravated assault and domestic violence. he was sentenced again. this time to five years in jail. >> joseph recovered from the physical scars of the incident, but he remains bewildered and stunned by the lack of help he received that night. >> anybody who watches this video is thinking the same thing probably. i think it's our human reaction is here are a group of men, not women, but a group of men and

they're not doing anything. >> but what would you do? confronted with an out of control thug, mercilessly peating someone in front of your eyes, would you call the cops, tell them to stop or look at the wallace if it wasn't happening? >> if one person would have stood up, one person crosses that line, one person would have stood up, things could have turned out different. coming up, a horrifying hit and run leaves a 78-year-old man paralyzed and waiting for someone to help him. >> he was bleeding on the back of the head and bleeding in his eyes, his mouth. all over the place. >> later, what would you do if everyone around you suddenly froze in place? >> they stopped what they were doing and just stood like

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friday, may 30, 2008, 5:49 in the evening. 33 park street. hartford, connecticut. in broad daylight on a busy street, a brazen hit and run. the entire horrific incident recorded by surveillance cameras. but it may be what doesn't happen after the accident that is most shocking of all. the man left for dead is 78-year-old torres. >> he was on bleeding on the back of the head and through his eyes, his mouth. all over the place. >> immediately after the accident, his son appeals for help. >> my father is fighting for his

life. i just would like the public right now to help us. >> if the guy is out there listening to please, turn yourself in. >> known in the community as pons a for his hometown in puerto rico, a huge yankees fan, a fisherman and a wizard at dominos. >> he was one of my best friends. to me, he was a good man. we got together almost every day. we played dominos. he helps everybody. if you need help, he's there for you. he never say no. he never back off. he was there. >> my father is the man that i always want to be and the man that i pretend to be. couldn't have asked for a better father. good grandfather, good great grandfather. >> he was an active member of the community, someone who looks

out for others. >> for seven years, we used to go down and pick up clothes and stuff for the poorest people and bring it back to the city and help out the people in the city. >> his world and that of his family is changed forever, put on a ventilator and confined to a hospital bed for the rest of his life. he's paralyzed from the neck down. >> we can communicate with him. he talks but we got to read his lips. he doesn't have a voice. he's still paralyzed from the neck down. get very, very confused at times. now we go into the hospital and we can't even hold conversations with him like we used to. it's tough. >> for the family of this man who helped others, this tragedy is made worse by the circumstances surrounding it. the two speeding vehicles had run a red light and then

traveling against traffic crossed the center line. after the man is hit, the drivers didn't stop. they didn't even hesitate. even more devastating, they're still at large. but the drivers aren't the only indifferent participants in this shocking story. watch what happens immediately after the impact. onlookers gather to watch but no one tries to help the man. >> what's troubling about this, he's paralyzed now from the neck down and no one came to his aid. >> seven seconds after the man is run down, the first of eight cars slows and eventually drives by. 32 second after the impact, a man stops to talk to another driver. but neither does anything about the victim lying at their feet. >> what's disturbing is this

individual was clearly, clearly struck in broad daylight. there were several witnesses. there were people driving by when he was on the ground. >> 40 second after the accident, a moped driver circles an held and drives on as a crowd edges closer but does nothing. >> got a guy -- just keep going, don't even go around to the corner to the fire station. >> some onlookers did do something to help. calls to 911 are reported. >> there was somebody who was hit in a hit and run. he's bleeding severely from his head. >> he's bleeding hard. still, more crucial second go by until a police cruiser that happens to be in the area stops and takes charge. the police release the video of the hit and run.

they're looking to find a tan, older model toyota, being chased by a blue or black older model honda. the police and an held's son appeal to the public for help and for the hit and run drivers to turn themselves in. >> i'm just begging please, come forward. it will take a less suffering, watching my father fight for his life is not easy. >> he dies on monday, may 11, 2009. in an incredible twist, police make an arrest that friday, may 15th. the same day that the man is laid to rest by his family. >> we asked my father to help us out. help us with justice. we buried him today, we didn't know he was going to work that fast. >> a woman tips off police that her boyfriend was the driver of the car that hits torres. he's arrested and in a deal with

prosecutors, pleads guilty to manslaughter and evading responsibility. sentencing is set for may 3rd. but what would you have done as torres lay alone and deserved someone to stop traffic. perhaps to hold his hand. to have responded the way he most certainly would have. >> he always helped everybody in that area in a time of need. nobody ran to my father to help him out. >> next, new york's grand central station comes to a shocking standstill. >> how long has this been happening? >> i don't know. >> this guy just dropped papers. when caught on camera, what would you do? continues. i'd like one of those desserts and some coffee.

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not everything caught on camera is dramatic, sad, frightening or heroic. some things are just plain

weird. like what if you were walking through new york's grand central station and in the blink of an eye nearly everyone around you suddenly froze in place. >> they stopped what they were doing and just stood like frozen. >> they're not moving. >> that's exactly what happened's here on february 24, 2007. grand central comes to a very strange and screeching halt. >> it was so weird. >> what's going on? >> i don't know. were you here from the beginning? >> no. >> you know what they're doing? >> no. >> opened in 1871, grand central is the largest train station in the world. every day, more than half a million people rush through the main concourse, a cavernous space filled with the frenetic hustle and bustle that seems to symbolize new york city itself. >> there's some tourists who were taking photos of the clock

or the ceiling, but mostly it's commuters who are running to catch their trains. >> the fun begins when 207 agents of the prank collective known as improv everywhere freeze in place at the exact same moment. what the heck is going on here? >> we do pranks, but we do a type of prank that rather than embarrassing or humiliating someone, it gives someone an awesome story to tell. >> are you a part of this? i feel like i'm the only person not froze. >> it's the brainchild of charlie todd creating outrageous scenes in public places is their specialty. >> what we're interested in doing is creating situations that are magical and hilarious and awesome and seem to come from nowhere and seem to disappear back into nowhere when they're over. >> since 2001, improv everywhere has executed more than 70 missions involving thousands of undercover agents, frozen grand

central is one of the most bizarre. >> real excited that all you guys can hear. got an exciting mission that we're going to do today. we met at bryant park and synchronized our watches and went over to grand central station that at exactly 2:30 we would all freeze in place for five minutes. then when that was up, we would unfreeze and walk away and act like nothing unusual had happened. >> but how did the people walking by react? some seemed completely oblivious. others find it humorous. some seem baffled. yet, amazingly, people just keep on walking. most not even fazed by the strange folks oddly frozen in

place throughout the station. all the while, hidden cameras, some as small as lipstick cases, secretly record the action. >> the people who come out to participate in improv for the events are always creative people. i'm always amazed at the different things that people come up with. one girl froze in the middle of eating a banana. another girl was about to take a bite of yogurt and it's sort of dripping down off her spoon. another guy before the freeze moment spilled like 30 papers from his brief case. he's frozen bending over picking up his papers for five minutes. so towards the end of the freeze, there was a guy who was on some type of motorized vehicle working for grand central who was trying to get across the main concourse and could not move because there was frozen people in front of my cart. >> they're not moving. i can't move my cart. >> he couldn't figure out what was going on. he radioed for help from someone. sort of right when he was trying to get someone to help him out,

we unfroze. his reaction was like, well, never mind. continued to drive on. >> the actors break out of character and then seem to fade back into the everyday world. an everyday world that improv everywhere makes a bit more whimsical. and a lot more fun. hopefully, our stories made you consider how you might react if your kurnl or conscious is put to the test. you never know when a camera may be watching. if you have a video you'd like to send to us, log on to our website, caught on camera,.msnbc.com. i'm contessa brewer. that's it for this edition of caught on camera.