Marylanders Who Attended Boston Marathon React To Deadly Explosions
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Two explosions killed three people, injured dozens and shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon. The race included hundreds of runners from Maryland.
Adam May has reaction from Marylanders who were caught up in the chaos.
The two explosions within seconds of each other at the finish line of Boston Marathon turned one of the most celebrated races in the country into a scene of carnage. It happened just before 3 p.m.
There were 448 runners from Maryland, including 59 from Baltimore, who took part in the race. Peter Mulligan from Canton was one of them.
"I heard the explosions and at first I just thought it was like a giant truck backfiring or something. The second was too loud to be a truck," Mulligan said in a phone interview.
Mary Hastler from Harford County was just down the street from the explosions.
"It was horrible," Hastler said in a phone interview.
She was cheering on her daughter, who was running her first Boston Marathon.
"We were waiting for her to come because we knew based on her time she would be turning that corner, and we heard the first explosion. We looked at each other and said 'That's an explosion.' Then there's a second one that followed, and it was right where we were," Hastler said. "We just walked down to the park area and just started calling her name."
Her daughter is OK.
Related Story: Baltimore City, White House Increase Security In Wake Of Boston Blasts
Images of the injured will stay with Maryland eyewitnesses forever.
Ryan McGrath describes the scene as "sirens, fire trucks . . . Really, really chaotic."
"It was a weird scene," McGrath said. "You had people who had just finished this marathon, a lifelong achievement, and they're pretty excited, and then we actually saw a few people come by running and crying."
Slideshow: At Least 3 Dead After Explosions At Boston Marathon
If you are concerned about a loved one in Boston that you are unable to reach, there is a hotline for family members to call: 617-635 4500.
