New Jersey Families Await Word After Bombs Rock Boston Marathon

Families of the 562 New Jersey runners who participated in the Boston Marathon spent a tense Monday awaiting confirmation that their loved ones were not among the more than 100 people injured in two bomb blasts.

There were no reports of injuries to any of the New Jersey contingent as of Monday night. Runners took to Facebook to tell loved ones they were safe after authorities shut down cell phone service as a precaution against remote detonation of bombs.

An 8-year-old boy was among the three dead and more than 130 injured when two explosions rocked the finish line of the world's most prominent marathon. The two explosions came as runners crossed the finish at the 4:09 mark of the race.

Christian Treitler, 51, of Woodcliff Lake, finished the race about 15 minutes before the explosions.

"I'm a bit shaken up," he said.

Treitler, a member of Ridgewood running group North Jersey Masters, said the event was evocative of Sept. 11.

"It was a beautiful day, and then somebody had to ruin it," he said.

Dr. Harry Pino, also a member of the North Jersey Masters, had finished the race and was at the 22-mile mark in his car as he drove toward the finish line to meet up with friends.

Boston police, however, had already cordoned off the blast area. Friends from the Ridgewood Running Company who participating in the race were on his mind.

"I called all my friends and I couldn't make any contact," he said. "It hit close to home and reminded me a bit of 9/11, trying to call people up and not being able to connect. What happened is just awful."

"There's so many people from my club who were up running – themselves, their family," said Lisa Swain, a councilwoman in Fair Lawn and an avid runner. "I'm waiting for more information but I'm just devastated."

There have been a flurry of emails among group members, she said, and none are believed injured, she added.

Scott Avidon, a music teacher at Fair Lawn's Thomas Jefferson Middle School had finished prior to the dual explosions.

John Fabbro, owner of Fleet Feet in Montclair, said he is aware of about 20 customers and friends at the marathon, including the store's manager. Through text messages, he's heard from nearly three-quarters of the runners.

"It's one of the most unbelievable things," said Fabbro. "It makes everything else seem insignificant."

President Obama said Monday evening that “the American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight.

“We still do not know who did this or why and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all of the facts. But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find out who did this, we will find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice,” Obama said.

Officials Monday night had not released the names of the injured or dead.

Patch Local Editors Mike D'Onofrio, Zak Koeske, and Jim Leggate contributed to this story.