FBI

‘I'm Afraid for My Safety': Northeastern Students React to Package Explosion

A staff member was left with minor injuries to his hands after a package sent to Holmes Hall when he opened it Tuesday night, school officials said

NBC Universal, Inc.

Northeastern University's Boston campus was rife with curiosity and concern after a package delivered to one of the university's buildings exploded Tuesday night.

The incident — which law enforcement sources have told the NBC10 Boston Investigators may have been a hoax — sparked a multi-agency response and investigation, as well as evening class cancelations, evacuations and other nearby universities being put on alert.

WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE

icon

Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

Jacob Isaacs said Tuesday night he was in class in Holmes Hall when they were evacuated.

"We were in class and then we saw two policemen walk through the building and then as soon as we look out the window, we see a fire truck with the lights on blazing, and then our teacher is like 'I gotta see what’s going on,’ and he sees that the fire truck is going and there’s a police car outside and as that happened, instantly the fire alarm starts going off," he said.

Isaacs added that they did not hear anything that sounded like an explosion before they saw first responders arrive.

Classes resumed Wednesday, after the university said that multiple law enforcement agencies have determined "the campus is safe and secure." Some students were headed back to class feeling a little uneasy.

“I guess the slightest bit on edge but otherwise I’m completely fine coming to class today,” said Jackson Franks, who is a fourth year student at Northeastern.

"My thought was just, 'Is this another Boston Marathon?'" Northeastern student Connor Martin said.

Another student, Ryan Di Corpo, described to NBC10 Boston Tuesday night how things unfolded.

"Police presence immediately put up police tape and told everybody that was there to move back into the main street, and then one of the ladder trucks hoisted a ladder up to the roof of the building, and a firefighter with what I believe was an axe went up on top of the building," Di Corpo said.

A staff member at Northeastern University was hurt by an explosion that prompted an evacuation and a large law enforcement response.

Eliane Mejía, a Northeastern University student, was there when it all happened.

"There was a bomb that had just exploded and we stayed here to check what else was happening and then they began to evacuate that building. It’s obviously scary but I also want to know what’s going on that’s why I’m staying," she said in Spanish.

Another student, Rafael Arias, was on the other side of the building at the time of the explosion.

"We just saw all the police cars coming and the sound was really frightening, I’m afraid for my safety because here there are many bedrooms in this building so it scares me a lot. I was here next door in another building until they sent us the alerts, we didn’t know what was happening," he said in Spanish.

Contact Us