A year after the tragic Boston Marathon bombings, a new book looks back on how the city came together to find those responsible. INSIDE EDITION speaks with the authors.
It was the day Boston became a city under siege. Streets were deserted. The public transportation system shut down. SWAT teams were mounting a house-to-house search.
In a new book, Long Mile Home, Boston Globe reporters Scott Helman and Jenna Russell reveal startling new details about the marathon bombing and the day Boston shut down.
Russell told INSIDE EDITION, "It was surreal. Very unnerving. People were inside their homes, they were glued to the television."
There was a terrifying scene a year ago in the Boston suburb of Watertown as police hunted Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his bother Jahar Tsarnaev.
Watch More Of Our Interview With The Authors
INSIDE EDITION's Les Trent was there that day. In his report, Trent said "You see there is a police officer up there. His head pointed outside a torrent. His rifle pointed on this apartment building. This is what has come down here in Watertown, door-to-door searches."
The fugitives found themselves cornered. Only one would survive the shootout that followed.
Helman said, "Tamerlan runs out of ammo, throws his gun at this sergeant, they tackle him to the ground, just as they're about to cuff him they see the Mercedes racing towards them and it's Jahar. He's coming right towards them. They jump out of the way at the last minute, Tamerlan does not jump out of the way, he's injured. Jahar runs over his brother."
Jahar Tsarnaev, the younger brother, had gotten away.
That's when an unprecedented lockdown was imposed by authorities.
Residents were asked to stay indoors as the manhunt to apprehend Tsarnaev reached a fever pitch. The streets were empty, except for police vehicles.
Then, a tip came from a homeowner. Jahar was hiding in a tarp-covered boat in his backyard in Watertown. Thermal imaging footage from a police helicopter showed him huddled in his bolt hole. Cops moved in. Everyone braced for Jahar to stage a bloody last stand.
Helman said, "They don't know if he has bombs, they don't know if he has a gun, there were reports that he had a suicide vest."
After a nerve-wracking two-hour standoff, the badly wounded Jahar surrendered. Who could forget those extraordinary images of the red dot from a police sniper trained on the accused terrorist's forehead as he climbed out of the boat.
The city could breathe again.
Today, Boston and the rest of the nation are marking the first anniversary of the bombing. A great city that lives up to the phrase, “Boston strong.”
