Berlin Native Finds Herself Locked In Her Watertown MA. Home

Berlin High School graduate and Berlin native Laura Russak spent last night huddled up in her home in Watertown, MA. watching television reports about Boston Marathon suspect number two being at large in her community.

"Since the suspect is still at large, we have been directed not to give details as to where the police have been searching," Russak said Friday morning. "However, we have been on lockdown since last night and we are close enough to the heart of the investigation that I have been listening to police sirens and helicopters circling since 2 a.m. this morning. 

"Watertown, besides authorized personnel, is a ghost town. Residents have been strictly adhering to the lockdown mandate. It's a very surreal and frightening situation to know that a terrorist has been on the loose all night.

"There have been a huge number of SWAT, police, National Guard etc mobilizing in the area since last night. About every 15 minutes, sirens whip past my street heading towards the center of Watertown. It's a very eerie and unsettling atmosphere. 

"I have been in contact with friends and family who live in other sections of Watertown or neighboring towns, also in lockdown, and we are all glued to our TV's hoping for a swift ending. 

"Thanks for the concern and positive thoughts. I know my family in Berlin (my parents, my sister, her husband and my niece and nephews) has been checking in all day to make sure we are safe."

Russak attended Skidmore College and then Boston University. She teaches in the Waltham Public School System.