BOSTON – Two explosive devices went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon while other undetonated devices were located elsewhere along the route.
Three people were killed and over 140 were injured, some critically.
Town of Monroe Supervisor Sandy Leonard was at the Marathon. Her son, who lives in Boston, ran in the iconic race.
She told MidHudsonNews.com by telephone Monday evening that they were in their hotel one block away when the bombs went off. Because they are on the opposite side of the building, she did not hear the explosions.
They were informed that they were on lockdown and could not leave the hotel for dinner.
“I don’t feel so unnerved; I wasn’t out there”, Leonard said. “We were just talking to several people; one lady was directly across the street and she was really shaken up. Watching it on TV and being there are two different things, but there is a reality to it and it’s not a pretty one.”
Governor Cuomo said because of the situation in Boston, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Police, MTA and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, are on a heightened state of alert. The Port Authority operates Stewart Airport at Newburgh, which will be included in the security alert.
The New York National Guard on Sunday sent three vehicles and six soldiers to support the Marathon, and they are on hand to assist with emergency response and work together with local authorities, the governor said.
New York State Senator Gregory Ball (R- Patterson), chairman of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, said, “New Yorkers and all Americans [must] remain vigilant.”
Ball said everyone must “always be alert and remember that our brave citizens are our very first line of defense. If you see something, say something.”
Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino has ordered the county police to take a number of precautionary actions including the deployment of the Aviation Unit helicopter to conduct aerial surveillance of critical infrastructure around the county and the Marine Unit to do the same along the Hudson River.
County bomb dogs were conducting sweeps of county buildings including the County Courthouse and police presence has been stepped up at the Kensico Dam and other vital locations and security has been beefed up at Westchester County Airport.