Former Commack Resident Describes Scene at Boston Marathon

Monday started as a picturesque day for former Commack resident Joanna Barouch, who was at the Boston Marathon to support a friend in the race. 

They visited the scenic Boston Harbor the day before, went to the market and even spent time in the JFK Library.  But the day of the marathon was a beautiful day that turned tragic in an instant.

Barouch was with her friend who had finished the Boston Marathon at the 2-hour, 40-minute mark. About 15 minutes later, the first explosion went off just one block away from where they were at the corner of Clarendon St. and St. James Avenue, which is one block away from Boylston Street, where the marathon took place.

“First I thought it was a truck exploding. Then, I thought it was cannons,” she said. Barouch described that everyone was silent for a second as people tried to figure out what had just happened. Then, the screaming began. “People were running and not knowing which way to go.” 

“I had no idea what it was until the second explosion a few seconds later. Someone was yelling, ‘Bomb! Bomb! Bomb!’ and that’s when we realized we had to get out of there.”

She searched for her car, along with her friend, who was still shaking from having just finished the marathon. “It was bad. It was real bad.”

She said that Boston police were quickly shutting down the roads and getting people off of the marathon route. “Emergency vehicles were coming. One after the other,” she said.

The walk to the car was an uneasy one, as they had heard that other unexploded bombs were in the area.

“I was worried that another one would go off as we were walking. We didn’t know where to go. We didn’t know where was safe. It was very reminiscent of 9/11 in that way,” she said.

By the time, they reached their vehicle, the cell phone service had been turned off, she said.

Barouch said that it took more than an hour to get out of Boston due to closed roads. It was while driving in the car that reality sunk in. “I started to cry,” she said. 

While the Commack alumnus was lucky to get out of the area unharmed, many others were not.

The latest number of injuries is 176 and counting. In addition, three people are confirmed dead, including an 8-year-old boy, who was there with his family watching his father run.