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Woman Who Released Crickets, Worms On Subway Says It Was Social Experiment

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A woman who caused chaos by releasing a container of bugs on the subway says it was a social experiment that went terribly wrong.

Actress Zaida Pugh said the live crickets and worms that were released on the D train earlier this week was all performance art and the bugs were just a way to grab people's attention.

"I just wanted to do a video of what the homeless people go through and how we look at them," Pugh told CBS2's Ali Bauman in an exclusive television interview.

Art or not, Pugh's stunt freaked out a lot of straphangers. In the chaos, someone pulled the emergency brake and the train came to a screeching halt on the Manhattan Bridge, where it ended up stuck for half an hour.

Passenger Ezra Mechaber tweeted: "Woman just let crickets out on the D Train as we went over the Manhattan Bridge. Panic ensued. Someone pulled the E-Brake. Stuck. New York.

Another rider, John Ray, posted to Facebook: "We had no idea what was happening, just heard yelling, then screaming, then something flew in the air."

"I feel sorry with some things, like how it went," Pugh said. "I didn't want it to go so drastic."

But Pugh said it could have been worse. She almost brought roaches onto the subway.

"I think it would have been way worse if I'd have the roaches," she said.

Pugh said officers did take her to the hospital in handcuffs to get her checked out, but said she doesn't face any legal consequences.

As for her acting, she plans to continue with performance art, but said no more bugs.

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