29-year-old Gregory Kats says he's sorry his science project (a model of an elevator) short circuited in his backpack and started smoldering in a NYC subway car.
Kats said he tried to reassure his fellow passengers that it was a school project — not a bomb — but people scrambled for the exits nonetheless. The box he was holding had a small battery, wires and a motor.
"They were panicking, and I realized their fear," an apologetic Kats said.
He said he tried to disassemble the contraption on the platform even as he reassured riders, "Don't worry. This is my science project."
