Related news from Boston Marathon tragedy

Lauren Cortizo, a 2009 CHS graduate who was running the marathon on behalf of domestic violence victims, was also part of the group that was stopped less than a mile from the finish line when the bombs exploded. Cortizo, who was recently profiled in the Citizen, was stopped by police and redirected, first toward the Boston Common and then toward Fenway.

Marathon runners and Emerson College students Lauren Cortizo ’13 and Christian Bergen-Aragon ’15 (Courtesy of Emerson College/Photo by Dan O’Brien)

Cortizo’s parents, Michelle and Jorge, and her older brother, Jon, were in the crowd on Boylston Street, situated directly between where the two bombs went off.

“No one told us anything, but in my gut I knew it was a bomb,” said Michelle Cortizo. “It seemed deliberate to me, and you couldn’t help but think of 9/11.”

Michelle said they reunited with Lauren in Brookline and ended up taking her and several of her friends from Emerson College back to their home in Canton.

Speaking via telephone the day after the marathon, Michelle said she felt like she had been “hit by a truck.”

“Just the emotional letdown of it all,” she explained. “Yesterday, you’re on adrenaline. Today I woke up and the first thing that entered my mind was the scene. It’s something you just don’t forget, and the feeling was more numbness and anxiety.”

* For a brief period on Tuesday, the Canton Police Department closed a stretch of Turnpike Street (Rte. 138) while they investigated a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Bay State School of Appliance. As a precaution, police called in the State Police Bomb Squad to search the vehicle, which had a propane tank, wires and hoses in plain sight. Police ultimately determined that the vehicle did not pose a threat and the road was reopened at approximately 10:30 a.m.

In a statement issued to the press, Deputy Police Chief Helena Findlen said police were able to identify and talk to the person who had leased the vehicle, and they determined that it was a “situation of lapsed judgment” rather than a criminal act.

“Our information at this point indicates there is no relation between this call and the events that occurred [Monday] in the city of Boston,” Findlen said.

She thanked the bomb squad for their “unbelievably rapid and professional response,” and she commended the first responders in Boston for their “incredible and dedicated service” following the marathon attacks. “Most importantly,” Findlen said, “our heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and witnesses of this senseless act.”

* The day after the marathon, Canton Police sent a contingent to Boston to assist the Boston Police with security efforts, including the protection of infrastructure and hospitals. The group included Police Chief Ken Berkowitz, Officer Scott Brown and K-9 Bosco, and Officer Brian Wanless.

* First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Canton was planning to hold a candlelight service on Wednesday evening (last night) to support all those affected, directly or indirectly, by the bombing at the marathon. They were planning to toll the bell 26 times at 8 p.m. to mark the marathon miles for those who were not able to finish the race.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Apr 18 2013. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.