In scenes reminiscent of the early days of the Beatles, scores of screaming female fans mobbed the Twilight star Robert Pattinson as he tried to film a new movie on the streets of New York.

The mayhem resulted in the British actor feeling the full force of his burgeoning worldwide celebrity when he was apparently hit by a taxi while trying to run across a road to escape.

The celebrity website radaronline.com reported witnessing Pattinson, 23, being clipped by one of New York’s famous yellow cabs as he tried to escape the women who were jostling to get an autograph or take photos of him on their phones. One managed to wrap her arms around the star.

The site reported that the taxi appeared to hit Pattinson on the hip, and the driver slammed his brakes on. Despite being a little stunned by the incident, the actor seemed to walk away unharmed, it said

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Three bodyguards continued to try to fend off the hysterical teenagers as the heartthrob walked around the block to production offices from the Manhattan location of a scene that he was shooting for the forthcoming romance Remember Me.

Pattinson was a relatively unknown British actor until he landed the starring role as a love-struck vampire in last year’s box office hit Twilight, the first cinema adaptation of the fantasy novels by Stephenie Meyer.

The international success of the first movie – a sequel has just finished filming - has seen Pattinson’s popularity soar in the past 12 months. Public appearances by the star attract thousands of screaming teens and one girl even broke her arm trying to catch a glimpse of hin in Pennsylvania last year.

According to People magazine, production sources say that Pattinson regularly attracts mobs of fans to the Remember Me set. "It's been non-stop busy all day with people trying to get a glimpse of him, and the crowd goes nuts when they do see him," an eyewitness told the magazine.

The source added that the Briton takes it all on his chin. "I think he appreciates it. He's not one to make a big deal about it. He's a chill guy and quiet so far," they said. "I think he finds it a little weird that people are standing outside all day to get a glimpse of him, but grateful."

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