"caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer all of or 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 eventual willy the car was 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? what if you witnessed a 78-year-old man smashed to the ground by hit and run driver sns. >> just begging please come forward. >> or if suddenly without warning new york's grand central station came to a bizarre and screeching halt? >> they're not moving. i can't move my car. >> in each instance of drama, danger, decision, would you get involved or would you look away? would you help or merely watch? caught on camera, what would you do. usually news photographers just record a story. they don't intentionally become part of it.

but one afternoon own an l.a. freeway, jack klein knew if he didn't quickly become part of the story a man might burn to death right in front of his eyes. >> the madness, the misery, just another typical day on an l.a. freeway but then an accident,en inferno and a man trapped inside. >> this side! >> his fate left in the hands of bystanders forced to choose between saving him or saving themselves. >> hold on! >> what will they do? it's early afternoon on free wan 170 october 16th, 2005 when the drama begins. >> i was traveling on southbound when it started drizzling and i was rolling the tape. i was trying to shoot some rain. >> freelance camera man was driving with his daughter when

he sees something alarming up ahead. >> i noticed the car was slipping and siding. i seen some smoke coming out f the car. i parked my car, left the camera on and ran towards him. he was kind of moaning and shortly after he came to and he goes my foot, my foot. i thought his foot was stuck. >> once we got on the freeway we saw that on the other side there was a multivehicle collision and vehicles were all over the freeway. so we pulled up and saw smoke and people running around, everybody ran up to us and said there's somebody trapped in the vehicle. >> that somebody is 22-year-old alexis. >> i advised my partner to grab the fire extinguisher and i ran down to see what i could do. he was trapped. the dashboard was pulled down around his legs and waist area so there was no way he was going to get out on his own. as generalson got there with the fire extinguisher i had been

working to move his leg to a better position to try to extract him from the vehicle. >> it was hot. it was undescribable in a way. every time we try to pry him out, he would try to get his air out of the window to get some fresh air. >> as the fire burns out of control, the officers frantically try to pry him out of the car. >> his door was all squashed in top no way to open the door. >> they try to rip open the hood of the car. >> and i told them, don't open it because more oxygen, more flame and at the same time we're thinking what if this guy doesn't make it. everything is going fast. >> we hold or breath because of the smoke and we took turns trying to maneuver his legs into a position where we could get

him out. as time progressed the fire got hotter. that's when the sense of urgency really stepped in. >> alexis is still pinned inside and cannot move. . >> the gentleman that was filming this whole event, he would film part of the time and then set the camera down, run, get more fire extinguishers for us. he was a really big help. >> but the fire extinguishers are now empty. >> i noticed the flames were getting stronger and there was no fire extinguisher left. i was looking for a truck, a truck or something big might have some extinguishers. >> jack sees a greyhound bus stopped up of the road. >> anybody have fire extinguisher. there's a guy burning inside the car. give it to me, guys. >> as they try in vain to douse the flames and extricate alexis,

the situation goes from bad to horrific. >> the flames started spreading. i noticed my feet were extremely hot but i couldn't figure why. when i looked down i saw that the whole undercarriage of the vehicle was engulfed with flames. i looked in the vehicle briefly and saw that the flames were starting to come up underneath the dashboard and were starting to touch his feet and legs. >> one thing going through my mind, we got to get this guy out of there alive, as quick as possible. but at the same time you're thinking what if? >> looked at my partner, several of the citizens moved away because they saw how bad it was getting. i told my partner we got to get him out or he's going to die. >> time is running out. resc rescuers are faced with a monumental decision. do you riske your own life to save a strangers.

>> what was driving me was the flames. it was driving me crazy to have no feelings of anything just to get this guy out f there alive. >> once i saw the flames i knew every car had a gas tank and the flames were covering the gas tank so i knew eventually the car was going to explode. i assured him that we would not leave him, aassured him that we were going to get him out. i wasn't going to go back on my word. we weren't going to give up. >> knowing the car could explode at any moment and with firefighters held up in the snarled traffic with all of their lives on the line, they give it one last potentially bone breaking heave. >> go! come on! you're coming out! >> they gave one final so value yent ever. >> go! go! go! >> and were able to extract him right when the car exploded.

>> i was so happy and thrilled that he made it out. it seemed like i was just reborn. that's the way i had the feeling when this guy was on the ground out of there alive. >> you'll be fine, buddy. good job, guys. >> once we got him out of the vehicle and my partner and citizens got him to safety, i looked back at the car and that's when i realize realized boy, we came really close on this one. and it really doesn't hit you until that point when you look back at it and you think, wow, that was really close. >> alexis suffers three fractures to his pelvis but escapes with his life. >> i think it was part luck and definitely wouldn't have had the same outcome had the citizens not helped us. luckily those good citizens were there. they made the difference,

absolutely. >> made me a better person actually the think about life, how important life is. >> you'll be fine, buddy. good job, guys. >> coming up next, what would do if you saw a woman lying face down on an emergency room floor. >> a security guard wheels himself in on a chair, rounds 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. e, a confident retirement. those dreams, there's just no way we're going to let them die. ♪ like they helped millions of others. by listening. planning. working one on one. that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. that's how ameriprise puts more within reach.

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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. and an aunt. she loved children. she loved them with a passion. >> esmin green 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 years. >> 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. and being without her children filled that void.

>> she found a second home with the jesus is lord ministries and works at day-care centers in the area. >> she was very good in communication with children, as a teacher, a counselor, whatever. and she would always do a good job. >> but esmin also has to contend with her own demons. she has psychological problems. at times showing dangerous signs of agitation and psychosis. in june 2008, esmin 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 next just agitated. >> esmin green is out of

control, and pastor marilyn johnson calls 911. emergency medical technicians arrive. esmin is admitted involuntarily to the psychiatric emergency room of the kings county hospital 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. and esmin green, who 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.

>> esmin lies 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 and 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, esmin is 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, rounds 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. and once again, nothing was done.

nothing was done. >> at 6:33, a doctor ambles by, looks at esmin, and apparently walks away. at 6:35, a nurse enters the room. she kicks esmin 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, esmin has been unattended by the hospital staff for nearly 24 hours. now the nurse alerts others, who finally come to check on her, but esmin is dead.

according to the medical examiner, esmin green is 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. and i'm not sure we'll ever know why. we may find out what went on in each individual's mind, you know, each, the security guards, the nurses, the doctor. but, you know, 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., esmin 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 esmin 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 kings county hospital, admits that they, quote, failed esmin green. esmin green's family also sues for negligence and is awarded $2 million in a settlement in 2009. esmin's death has prompted the hospital to institute changes to help prevent tragedies such as esmin's from happening again. staffing has been increased, and waiting times have been significantly reduced. >> esmin green's death was a needless death, but she didn't die in vain because her death has sparked the reform of conditions at kings county hospital. and hopefully as a result of her death, nobody will ever be

treated this way. >> we miss her spirit at the church. something is missing. we really miss her. up next, what is 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 i better be the one who had it. and later, a plaster and punchout at a pizza parlor. >> got the concussion when he hit me the first time. >> when "caught on camera" what would you do returns. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] more room in economy plus. more comfort, more of what you need. ♪ that's... built around you friendly. ♪

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secret clinical strength. 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 her fairly bloody. >> for sharon gillespie, patrick dennis couglan it was all of that, and perhaps a bit more.

linden, texas. mother's day, may 11th, 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 is a very good officer, and she is a smart, real smart person. and a real caring type person. >> after being stopped, the driver immediately exits the vehicle, and surprisingly, begins walking away. gillespie calls him back, asking for some identification. >> and when sheri stopped him, she didn't know for sure who he was, and she asked him for his id. and he said i don't have any id. but he told her his last name. >> he tells her his last name is gray. gillespie realizes he fits the

description of andrew lee gray, a man wanted by police for assaulting his girlfriend with a knife. she asks gray to put his hands on the trunk of the car. >> he placed his hands on the car, and she took her handcuffs out. he spun around to fight her. she grabbed him by the shirt and told him you don't want to do this. you're just 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 move. he tears off gillespie's vest microphone and goes for her gun. >> he reached to grab the gun. as soon as he did that, she tried to grab hold of him. and they started tussling. >> the gun is a 40 caliber glock. and gillespie knows if gray gains control of it, he could shoot her. but gray is having trouble. he seems to be 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 hands, and he is trying to put it in her face because she's got

a vest on. and she's got to hold the barrel. the only reason the gun couldn't go off because while she had a hold of the barrel, she was pushing back, trying to hold it out of her face. when you push back on a glock, it won't fire until it's locked in place. the minute it's locked in place, with him pulling on the trigger, it would have went off. but now gray has the advantage. gillespie is off balance, bloodied. the gun is pointing directly at her face. >> i could feel god moving my hands and feet. i've told people this before, and some of them think i'm crazy. but it was too perfect. i was there at the exact perfect second to do what i did. >> patrick dennis couglan, a musician, 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 id. 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 couglan 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 is two feet taller than she is. whatever was going to happen, i was going to help her. >> couglan 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, for sure. he pulled the trigger in her face twice. the only thing that saved her was the slide on the glock was back just a little bit. >> he grabbed the gun with both hand and twisted it. as soon as he twisted it, he got it loose from gray and he pointed the gun at gray 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 licia rector appears. >> well, i had taken my four kids grocery shopping, and a man came in and said a lady needed help. so i kicked my flip-flops off, it's a texas thing, and went outside. and there was ms. gillespie in bad trouble. >> she isn't in a particularly good mood this morning. >> earlier that day my husband got me a happy birthday card and it was mother's day. and that's not my birthday. so i was already upset, and i had to take the four kids to buy groceries in my little bitty car. so i just was not in a good mood already. >> and her mood is about to get worse. >> and my children said get 'em, mama, get him! >> that's when licia weighs in, turning the free-for-all into a texas hog-tie, and andrew gray is finally subdued.

but what would you do if you came upon a struggle like the one pat couglan and licia rector encountered? what does it take to be a hero? >> i 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, and when you get through each day, it's heroic! [ laughter ] >> 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 is alive. she is doing well. she is doing good for herself. ms. gillespie is an awesome woman herself, and she's got a big heart, too. >> the kind of generous heart shared by licia rector and pat couglan.

but for licia it might have all have been in a day's work. >> 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. >> and later, a horrible hit and run in broad daylight. >> my father is fighting for his life. i just would like the public right now to help us. >> when "caught on camera: what would you do?" continues. when we made our commitment to the gulf, bp had two big goals: help the gulf recover and learn from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts

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i'm melissa rehberger. a tennessee man has been arrested at new york city kennedy airport after a loaded rifle was found in his checked luggage. and president obama used his

weekly radio and web address to ask people to give his health care website a chance as experts work to fix it. he vowed that health care.gov will work more smoothly in thement coing weeks. 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 willing to save a stranger. we've seen neglect toward a dying woman recorded by surveillance cameras in a psychiatric emergency room. in the next story, people in a pizza parlor are faced with another daunting decision, that tests their willingness to step up when they see something bad going down. >> it is perhaps one of the most unexpected and brutal knockout punches ever caught on camera outside a boxing ring. >> got the concussion right when he hit me the first time. >> but what is even more shocking may be what happens next.

july 31st, 2004. da vinci's pizza parlor. joseph is about to have a really bad day. it begins slowly when ms. pristina sims enters and cuts in line. >> when she entered the pizzeria, she went to the front. i wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. >> joseph gets a call from his wife, waiting in the car outside. >> my wife was asking how much longer is it going to be. it's going to be a little bit longer. somebody just jumped in front of the line. she goes who just jumped in front of the line. i said well, that lady just walked in was wearing camouflage pants. >> ms. simms is in an extremely nasty mood. when she hears joseph's comment, she decides to make a scene, a very big scene. >> say what you're saying, [ bleep ], say what you're saying.

say what you're saying, [ bleep ]. >> she immediately became enraged, got right up into the victim's face, was, you know, using foul language against him, was hitting him, poking at him. just screaming like a lunatic at him. >> joseph tries to ignore her as pristina bellows for her boyfriend outside. >> come here, come here and tell this [ bleep ]. >> then the manager gets involved. >> pristina simms was loud and swearing and out of control when the person working at the pizza shop just started saying get out of here. >> hey. >> no! >> you need to go. >> you need to leave. get out of my restaurant. she then just got real hostile with him. >> and to put an exclamation point on her argument, pristina simms spits in his face. the manager asks her to leave. but pristina is on a roll.

that's when mark jones, pristina's boyfriend enters. mr. jones stands 6'4", weighs in at about 295 pounds. he also happens to be an ex con. meanwhile, joseph scarpino is still on the phone with his wife. >> my wife tells me she is coming in. i say no, stay in the car. >> at that point she pokes me in the face. >> as simms 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 pristina continues to poke and provoke joseph scarpino. >> i switched the hands on my phone, and i slapped the counter.

i said what is wrong with you. what is your problem. just get your pizza, get out of here. and mark jones approaches. >> check you. check you. >> and while mark jones approaches me, my phone rings, but then it hangs up. so i go to redial the phone. and he is like what is the problem. i'm not really paying attention much to what he is doing. >> that's when mr. jones unloads a wicked round house, a blindsiding 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. i'm 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. and there is not a lot of reaction. you can see them all 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 scarpino. >> 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 just drags his body out of the way and exits the pizza shop. >> as soon as pristina simms and mark jones exit the store, police are there to arrest them.

>> pristina simms was convicted of an assault, a misdemeanor assault, and then later indicted by the grand jury and convicted of a felony assault. >> pristina simms served six months in jail and was 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 pristina simms' 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 scarpino recovered from the physical scars of the incident, but he remains bewildered and stung by the lack of help he received that night. >> anybody who watches this video probably is thinking the same thing. 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 beating someone right in front of your eyes? would you call the cops? tell them to stop? or look at the wall, as if it wasn't happening. >> if one person would have stood up, one person crosses that line, one person would have stood up, i think things could have turned out a bit different. coming up, a horrifying hit-and-run leaves a 78-year-old man paralyzed and waiting for someone to help him. >> he was on bleeding on the back of head and he was bleeding through his eyes, his mouth, all over the place. and later, what would you do if everyone around you suddenly froze in place. >> they stopped what they were doing and just stood frozen. >> when "caught on camera: what would you do?" continues. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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friday, may 30th, 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 accident is caught on tape. but it may be what doesn't happen after the accident that is the most shocking of all. the man left for dead is 78-year-old angel torres. >> he was bleeding on the back of the head. he was bleeding through his eyes, through 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. >> information about the gentleman that got hit by the car. >> if the guy is listening, please turn yourself in. >> angel is a retired forklift operator, a huge yankees fan, a fisherman, and a wizard at dominoes. >> he was one of my best friends. to me he was a good man. he and i, we get together almost every day. we play dominoes. he helps everybody. he was a person that if you need help, he is there for you. he never say no. he never back out. he were this. >> my father is the man i always want to be and the man i pretend to be. a good father. could ask for a better father, good grandfather, great

grandfather. >> angel is an active member of the community, someone who looks out for others. >> in 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. >> angel's 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 is paralyzed from the neck down. >> we communicate with him. he talks, but we got to read his lips. he doesn't have a voice. he is still paralyzed from the neck down. get very, very confused at time. 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 angel is hit, the drivers didn't stop. they didn't even hesitate. and even more devastating, they are 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 angel torres. >> what is troubling about this is that he is paralyzed now from the neck down, and no one appeared to come to his aid. >> seven seconds after angel is run down, the first of eight cars slows and eventually drives back. 32 seconds after the impact, a man stops to talk to another driver, but neither does anything about the victim lying at their feet.

>> what is disturbing this individual was clearly, clearly struck in broad daylight. there was several witnesses. there were cars actually driving by him as he was on the ground. >> 40 seconds after the accident, a moped driver circles angel and drives on as a crowd edges closer, but does nothing. >> got a guy on a scooter that goes around my father, and just kept going. don't even go around the corner to the fire station. >> but some onlookers did do something to help. calls to 911 are recorded. >> it was somebody who was hit in a hit-and-run. he is bleeding severely from his head. >> send an ambulance, quick, quick, quick. >> is he bleeding hard? >> he is bleeding hard. >> what kind of car was it? >> i didn't see it. >> still, more crucial seconds go by until a police cruiser that just 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 angel's son appeal to the public for help, and for those hit-and-run drivers to turn themselves in. >> i'm just begging, please come forward. it would take a little less suffering from this family. watching my father fighting for his life is not easy. >> angel spends nearly a year on life support, but he dies on monday, may 11th, 2009. in an incredible twist, police make an arrest that friday, may 15th, the same day angel is laid to rest by his family. >> we ask my father to help us out, to help us with justice. we bury him today. we didn't know he was going to work that fast. >> a woman tips off police that her ex-boyfriend, 33-year-old

luis negron was the driver of the car that hits torres. he is 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 angel torres lay alone. he 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. and in his time of need, nobody there, nobody ran to my father to help him out. next, new york's grand central station comes to a shocking stand still. >> how long has this been happening? >> i don't know. >> when "caught on camera: what would you do?" continues. well i drove grandpa to his speed dating this week,

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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. i can't move my cart. >> that's exactly what happens here on february 24th, 2007. grand central comes to a very strange and screeching halt. >> this is so weird. >> what is going on? >> i i don't o don't either. >> were you here from the beginning? >> no. >> do 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. >> it's always packed with people.

there are some tourists who may be taking photos of the clock or ceiling. but mostly it's commuters who are running to catch their train. >> 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 frozen here. >> improv everywhere is the brainchild of charlie todd, creating outrageous scenes in public places is their specialty. >> what we're very 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. >> really excited that all you guys are here. we've got a really exciting mission that we're going to be doing today. >> we all met at bryant part and synchronized our watches. and then went over to grand central station that at the plan at exactly 2:33, we would all freeze in place for five minutes. and when the five minutes was up, we would unfreeze and walk away and act like nothing unusual had happened. >> but how did the people walking by react? some seem completely oblivious. others find it humorous. some seem baffled. yet amazingly, people just keep on walking.

most not even fazed by the strange folks frozen all 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 everywhere are always very creative people. i'm always amazed the different things people come up with. one girl froze in the middle of eating a banana. another girl froze as she was about to take a bite of yogurt, the yogurt dripping down off her spoon. another guy right before the freeze moment spills 30 papers from his briefcase. so he is froze, bending over for five minutes. towards the end of the freeze, there is a guy who is 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 were frozen people in front of his cart. >> they're not moving. i can't move my cart.

>> he couldn't figure out what was going on. and he radioed for help from someone. but sort of right when he was trying to get someone to help him out, we all unfroze. so his reaction was well, never mind, and 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 courage or conscience is put to the test, and you never know when a camera may be watching. if you have a video you would like to send to us, log on to our website, caughtoncamera.msnbc.com. i'm contessa brewer. that's it for this edition of "caught on camera."

danger -- >> i've had some really good friends die out there. >> adrenaline. >> it's magnificent, crazy. >> adventure. >> it's what's called sensory overload. >> it it's what drives these daredevils. a shark gets into a cage. >> i'm just looking at jaws of death. >> and that's only the beginning. >> the next thing that you know, knocks my regulator out of my mouth. >> a sky dive goes horribly wrong. a life literally hangs in the balance. >> we knew that the odds of