A clip of the incident has since gone viral , which shows the animal hanging from the ceiling at a Spirit Airlines gate. Customers scream and a dog barks as the raccoon drops to the floor and scurries around. The video ends with a man holding a clear plastic receptacle, likely to catch the critter.

Frightened staff and flyers at LaGuardia Airport fled the Spirit Airlines’ gate after a rambunctious raccoon was spotted hanging from the ceiling before dropping to the floor of the Big Apple terminal, shocking footage shows.

Passengers at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) encountered an unusual intruder on Monday morning, which caused quite a stir. A raccoon dropped from the ceiling, startling Spirit Airlines passengers, many of whom started running around in panic.

"This is the most LaGuardia thing and the most Spirit Airlines thing to happen," quipped a user on social media.