Peggy Jewitt, of Margate, hugged her son, A.J, during the race as he stood on the sidelines, with friends, cheering her on.
10 minutes later, the bombs went off.
"Definitely felt the first explosion. I mean, it reverberated through the ground you could feel the percussion on your chest," said friend Todd Flynn. "I looked to my right and saw the next explosion, the actual flash and subsequent smoke, and I kind of grabbed her and took her over the barricade."
The prayers of members at Temple Adath Emanuel in Mount Laurel were answered when they learned that Rabbi Ben David, who ran the marathon Monday, was safe. David co-founded a national organization called "The Running Rabbis," which uses events like the marathon to raise money for charity. "On one hand there is darkness and evil in our world, we saw that. But on the other hand, there's great good and there is this capacity for good and we see that in the way people are coming together," Rabbi David said, adding he plans to run in the Boston Marathon next year.
Among the emergency personnel who rushed to aid the victims was 23-year-old Becki Miller of Marlton. She was seen in pictures wearing a yellow jacket and pushing a stretcher carrying one of the victims.
Becki is a senior at Northeaster and a trained EMT who was volunteering with a group from her school.
Her sister, Lora Condell, talked to Action News, saying "When I knew that she was safe, I couldn't have been more proud of her courage and her bravery because instead of running away, she was at the finish line."
