Participants in an Easter egg hunt in Orange on Saturday say it nearly turned into a riot.

News 12 is told over a thousand people were at the PEZ Visitor Center on Prindle Hill Road Saturday for the candy company's annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Organizers hid more than 9,000 eggs on three different fields, with each field for a different age group and start time, according to PEZ. But some attendees ignored the rules and didn't wait for the starting time, and parents rushed onto the field.

Mario Colon, who was at the event, compared it to a mob scene on Black Friday and said one parent even took eggs out of his son's hand.

The company apologized and said in a statement, "Due to the actions of a few, the good intent quickly turned into a mess...This was not something created to frustrate or make people angry."

PEZ says staff members made efforts to get free candy for anyone who didn't get anything during the hunt.