2 sue Strip hotel after false report of gunshots lead to stampede

Two women are suing a Las Vegas Strip hotel after they were trampled in a stampede last summer.

Julie and Isabella Vandrew, of Arizona, filed the lawsuit against New York-New York on Friday in Clark County District Court. They are being represented by Justin Randall.

The Vandrews were visiting the hotel and casino, at 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, on July 16, 2022, when someone heard a gunshot and the crowd went rushing to exit. The women fell and were “severely injured,” the lawsuit stated.

Social media posts at the time of the incident spread like wildfire, claiming there was an active shooter on the Strip in the area of the New York-New York.

Sources at the casino’s theater told the Review-Journal at the time people had run across the pedestrian bridge on the Strip connecting MGM Grand and New York-New York and stormed the front doors of the theater, seeking a place to hide. Cast members of the “Mad Apple” Cirque du Soleil stage show were then hustled off stage and into their dressing rooms, instructed to lock the doors.

The Vandrews’ injuries were not immediately clear. Randall could not be reached for comment Monday.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement last July that someone had broken a window in the MGM Grand valet area around 10 p.m., and people running from the area told others there was a shooting.

The audience reportedly ran from the theater, and several hotels were placed on lockdown by Metro. One person had minor injuries after falling down during the panic, police said at the time, but no one was transported to a hospital.

New York-New York is owned by MGM Resorts International. A spokesperson for the company did not immediately reply to a request for comment Monday.

The Vandrews are alleging the hotel’s negligence in controlling the crowds that caused their injuries.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.