I was a witness to many memorable events in 2016, from several nasty building fires, to extreme weather, to a tragic trench collapse. Here are some of these moments. Photos taken on and off my Boston Herald news photographer shift. Thank you to the Herald, and to my subjects, many of whom are first responders.
Posts Tagged ‘police’
My year in Boston photos: Memorable, sometimes sad moments from 2016
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 12/21/2016Boston police, fire, & EMS personnel care for, then talk man off ledge.
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 11/23/2016A distraught man climbed onto a 4th floor ledge of a local college frat house today. He laid down in a precarious position for almost two hours as Boston police negotiators, EMS, and members of Boston fire’s Technical Rescue crew talked to him, listened to him, and gave him blankets and water until finally climbing onto the ledge and rescuing him. The incident happened at the corner of Hereford and Marlborough streets.
*I chose to publish these on my blog to show the teamwork and overall caring/human approach that the rescuers exhibited.
Holiday time can feel desperate, for many. If you are feeling desperate please call Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
**I have blurred the young man’s face to keep his anonymity**
Not the usual medical aid assignment for Boston first responders
by markadmin Posted: Friday, 4/29/2016The oil tanker Hugli Spirit, anchored in Boston Harbor, alerted the Coast Guard to a medical crisis on board late this morning. The call, as heard on a police scanner, came into Boston police as “the captain of the ship is reportedly having a heart attack”. Boston Fire Dept., the U.S. Coast Guard, Boston EMS, Massachusetts State Police, Environmental Police, Winthrop Police and the Boston Police Harbor Unit all sent boats and personnel, as two ambulances waited on Drydock Ave. First responders borded the ship via a long ladder at the ship’s side. No word on the man’s condition. Below are my photos, mostly made with an 1140mm telephoto lens. Photos made on my shift as a Boston Herald photographer.
Strange twist to the strange story of today’s long police pursuit
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 4/27/2016Sometimes I run into people I’ve photographed in the past under the strangest circumstances.
Jim Moynihan was watching “The Price is Right” in his West Roxbury apartment building Wednesday morning, when the show was preempted for local news coverage of a police pursuit on Route 128.
He fixated on the television as a news helicopter streamed live video of the chase along Rte. 128 and the off/on ramps in Needham and Dedham.
Moynihan started to recognize the terrain.
The footage showed the suspect’s heavily-damaged vehicle stop in a parking lot. A man exited and started to run.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on Moynihan’s door. He opened it and a man asked him if he could come in to his apartment for a few minutes.
It was the man police were pursuing in the chase Moynihan had been watching on TV.
He stood there and before he could say anything, the man took out a wad of cash and offered to pay him for letting him in.
Moynihan said he shut the door and locked it, later recalling that adrenaline took hold of him as he slammed the door shut. In recounting the story to me, Moynihan said he was not scared.
“Being a cabby in Brookline for over 30 years, you kind of get used to things like that,” he said.
It then dawned on me. I had photographed Moynihan before.
On May 10, 2008, I was looking for feature photos for the Boston Herald. Moynihan was driving his cab when he came upon a turkey in the middle of the street.
I had exited my car to photograph the turkey. Moynihan stopped his cab and stared at the bird for a minute or two.
I struck up a conversation with him while he waited for a green light. I remember he gave me his name and said he would be very excited if the photo made the next day’s edition of the Boston Herald.
See Moynihan today, and in 2008 with his feathered friend. More of my photos from today’s pursuit, including the burning vehicle and injured Walpole police officer Matt Crown are also displayed. Crown was dragged by the suspect’s vehicle as he investigated why the vehicle was stopped in a no stopping zone.
The Boston Herald story and a video can be found here.
The man who climbed the Tobin Bridge shortly after the conclusion of last Wednesday’s evening commute had many first responders looking out for his well being. Police scanner broadcasts indicated that Boston EMS, Firefighters and Police from Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts State Police, and US Coast Guard sent units to the bridge. Boston Fire sent its Technical Rescue Unit, and Boston and Massachusetts State Police sent hostage negotiators. They were all very patient, as this effort took 2 hours. I was on scene to photograph, actually 1900 feet away in East Boston, according to Google Earth, when this drama played out. Photos below show an airbag inflated near Boston Fire’s Tower Ladder 3 on the upper deck roadway, a hostage negotiator with a bullhorn, and rescue boats in the water below. At one point the man can be seen inside one of the open air windows inside a steel beam, peering out. A first responder on scene told me later that night that the man had an amazing grip. The event was quite pressure packed for me. I hoped rescuers would save the man and did not want to see him fall. The final photo shows the man beginning his climb to safety. Below are several of my photos, including one that appeared in the Boston Herald. Herald colleagues, Matt Stone and Christopher Evans were also on scene, and their photos can be seen at the following link.
Memorable, tragic moments from my year in Boston photos, 2014.
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 12/24/2014From an apartment building fire in Lowell that killed 7, to a Back Bay brownstone that killed two brave firefighters, the tragic moments from my 2014 were plentiful. A Revere tornado in the summer is still causing pain to the homeless victims. A sunrise shines off of windows on Drydock Ave. There were also happy outcomes, like Sylvie, the Southie Husky who ended up stuck in ice off Castle Island and who was rescued by Boston firefighter Sean Coyle. Many of these photographs were taken during my 6:30am shift for the Boston Herald. There are also some aviation photos here, my passionate pastime. Thanks for viewing and being a friend. Please check out my new website.
Chelsea police officer awarded medal for his actions Saturday on the Tobin Bridge
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 8/13/2014Chelsea police officer Paul McCarthy was awarded a medal yesterday for his life saving actions on Saturday, atop the Tobin Bridge, according to the Chelsea police website. A man had allegedly assaulted his wife and was on the run when a Chelsea cop spotted him and initiated a brief pursuit, that ended when the man jumped from the upper deck of the bridge, only to get caught in construction safety netting on the lower deck. Here is my original post, with photos, from the incident. Below are more of my photos of officer McCarthy in action on the Tobin. Photos were snapped during my Saturday shift as a Boston Herald staff photographer.
Man allegedly assaults wife, his car is chased to Tobin Bridge, he jumps off bridge, gets caught in netting.
by markadmin Posted: Saturday, 8/9/2014Chelsea police and fire department, along with Boston fire department, rescued a man from high above the Mystic River Saturday August 9. A man allegedly assaulted his wife with a knife in Malden. Malden police gave an alert, in the form of an all points bulletin, “be on the lookout” broadcast. A Chelsea police officer spotted his Lincoln Towne Car and gave chase. A brief pursuit ended on the upper deck of the Tobin Bridge when the man got out of his car and jumped over the railing. He was caught in the construction netting on the lower deck, approximately 50 feet below where he jumped from. He survived with a leg injury. The rescue took approximately 30 minutes. I was there, far away and under the bridge, with my 800mm lens and a 1.4x extender. Here are my photos.
Boston police arrested a man who walked into a crime scene, a murder scene, to be exact, in South Boston today, August 1. The man entered Moakley Park by way of a trip under yellow police tape. He was told to halt. He then yelled: “Get away from me.” Police surrounded him, finally tackling him, but not before he connected with a punch or two. See my photos below.
A proud police chief, saddened by the senseless death of MIT officer Sean Collier
by markadmin Posted: Monday, 4/22/2013MIT Police Chief John DiFava is seen one minute after today’s moment of silence to honor those who died in the Boston Marathon bombings, including MIT police officer Sean Collier. The chief received a hug from one of approximately 200 people that lined the sidewalk in front of the MIT police station to commemorate the horrific event. Please see tomorrow’s Boston Herald, as columnist Peter Gelzinis talks at length to the chief.