Irish firefighter accused of raping woman at Boston hotel

A firefighter from Ireland is behind bars in Massachusetts, accused of raping a woman at a Boston hotel last week.

Police say Terrence Crosbie was visiting with the Dublin Fire Brigade to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, but the 37-year-old never made it there.

Instead, he was arrested on the tarmac at Logan Airport. Investigators say he was trying to fly back to Ireland early after he allegedly raped a woman at the Omni Parker House Hotel early Friday morning. He got on the flight after he was questioned about the crime.

According to court documents, police used video from the hotel and The Black Rose pub where Crosbie allegedly met the victim Thursday night to assist with the investigation.

Those visiting from Ireland for the holiday were shocked to hear about the charges.

"I only arrived here on Friday morning so this guy could have been crossing paths in the airport like that’s insane," Neve Wilkinson said.

"Did he think he was just going to fly home and get away with it? That doesn’t happen," added Meabh Fyfe, who was also visiting from Ireland.

Crosbie was held on $100,000 bail after pleading not guilty at Boston Municipal Court. Even if he posts that, he was ordered to surrender his passport and not to leave Massachusetts.

"The fact is this process will take another six months to another year," explained NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne.

His fire department in Ireland said he has been placed on leave and they are conducting their own investigation.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office praised the victim for coming forward to report the incident.

Crosbie is due back in court next month.

Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.