Naperville Witness: Boston 'Eerie' in Aftermath of Marathon Explosions

While under lockdown in a Boston hotel room Monday night, Naperville resident Isabella Von Der Linden said she gazed out her window to a scene much different than one of celebration and joy she saw hours earlier.  

Earlier: 

"Obviously right now, looking out the window, it's very eerie," she said over the phone Monday night. "Every once and a while you'll hear the police cars go by." 

Only a few hours earlier, the same street was packed with thousands of runners competing in the Boston Marathon as fans cheered them along on the sidelines.

But shortly before 3 p.m. EDT, everything changed.

Cheers turned into terrifying screams as two explosions rocked an area near the race's finish line. 

"Obviously it was terrifying because you don't know what was going to happen next," she said. "I definitely felt something, but I heard it more than anything. Almost more of like a horrible collision or something like that." 

Von Der Linden flew out to Boston Saturday to watch her sister and Denver resident Stefania Scott run in the marathon. Once the explosions went off, Scott had already finished the race and the two were in their hotel room at the Back Bay Hotel, a few blocks away from where the blasts occurred.  

"I heard an explosion, but I tried not to think it was something because I didn't want to be paranoid, and then we immediately began to start getting phone calls from family out of state telling us what happened," she said.  

The blasts left dozens of people injured and at least two reportedly killed. An investigation into the incident is currently ongoing, Back Bay Patch reports.

After the explosions, the sisters were told by hotel staff that the Back Bay Hotel was in lockdown and no guests were allowed to leave. 

At that point, uncertainty set in among hotel guests as rumors began to swell and reports of additional explosive devices came in, she said. 

Von Der Linden said cell phone service was shut down after the explosions because officials "were afraid of remote detonation of any devices." But by 8:30 p.m. EDT, service had improved, she said.

The sisters planned to travel back home Tuesday, but they may have a change in plans. Hotel staff told guests that all bridges and tunnels running in and out of the city are currently shut down.

"Everyone in the city is kind of operating on limited staff because no one can get into the city," she said.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said that the city of Boston will be open on Tuesday, but it will not be “business as usual," Back Bay Patch reports.

At least 12 runners from Naperville competed in the Boston Marathon, according to the race's website. 

Naperville-based Experience Triathlon said it had a group of local runners participating in the marathon Monday, but all athletes are safe. 

"They are all safe and accounted for," said Experience Triathlon coach Joe LoPresto. "We had a number of runners and their family members out there for the marathon, but they are all safe."

Experience Triathlon is a Naperville-based running group, which offers coaching services to athletes in the Chicago area. The group also posted a message to runners involved in the marathon on its Facebook page. 

Monday's incident comes as Naperville gears up for the Naperville Marathon and Half Marathon this November. The inaugural race will be a qualifying race for next year's Boston Marathon.