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A man yelled 'Heil Hitler, Heil Trump' at 'Fiddler on the Roof' show in Baltimore, sparking fear in the audience

When the man yelled and gave a Nazi salute at a performance of "Fiddler on the Roof," some audience members feared he would pull out a gun.
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A man stood up, gave a Nazi salute, and yelled "Heil Hitler, Heil Trump" at a performance of "Fiddler on the Roof," leaving some audience members "anticipating the worst," such as a shooting.

Video footage of a man being escorted out of the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore on Wednesday night went viral after witnesses said the man stood up and shouted "Heil Hitler, Heil Trump" early in the intermission.

Samit Verma, a news editor for Voice of America who was at the show, told NBC News that he didn't hear the man initially, but then clearly saw him making a Nazi salute and yelling "Heil Hitler" as people were exiting for intermission.

"Some of the ushers, all female, rushed over and security came in shortly after that to escort him out," Verma told NBC News on Thursday. "Everyone around me appeared quite shaken by the experience and some people were in tears."

The man was identified as Anthony Derlunas, 59, in a police report. He was not arrested but the police department is conducting a follow-up investigation of the incident, the report said.

Connor Drew, 26, who said he was in the lobby during intermission, told NBC News that he overheard a woman on the phone saying she was worried about a potential shooting.

“She said she was afraid that she would walk outside and they would outside with guns ready to kill Jewish people," Drew said. “For that show of all shows, it's [against antisemitism]. Having to sit through the second act after something like that is pretty tough.”

"Fiddler on the Roof" is a Tony Award-winning musical about a Jewish family in a Russian village at the turn of the 20th century. The show, originally performed in1964, was revived on Broadway in 2015 and is currently touring the country.

Another audience member in Baltimore, Kelly Logan Gould, 45, said an older woman behind her in the audience ducked under their seats. Gould told NBC News that she wasn't hysterical, but she "fully expected him to pull out a gun."

“I was definitely shaking and I was anticipating the worst," Gould said. "I was very much concerned for my safety. I was there with my mother and her friend and I really wanted to leave but decided to stay because you can’t let them win."

The incident happened just over two weeks after 11 Jewish people were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The suspect allegedly told police that he "wanted all Jews to die."

Derlunas told police that the final scene of the musical's first act "reminded him of his hatred of [President] Donald Trump," which prompted his outburst, the police report said. He also told officers that he had been drinking heavily that night.

The Hippodrome Theatre released a statement on Twitter condemning his behavior.

"We do not tolerate behavior like we saw last night during intermission at 'Fiddler,'" the statement read. "Security handled the situation swiftly. Our venue has a proud tradition of providing shared experiences to people from all walks of life and we will continue that tradition."