Tourists flocked to Rockefeller Center Wednesday night for the Christmas tree lighting, hours after killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson just around the corner. , unfazed by armed assassins on the run.
Thousands of domestic and international tourists waited in line for hours to catch a glimpse of Manhattan's famous tree — just two blocks away from where the shocking murder took place just before 7 a.m. in place
Before the tree lights were turned on at 10 p.m., tourists banded together to sing along to performances by the Backstreet Boys and Kelly Clarkson as a light storm descended on the celebration.
Many of the revelers were either unaware of the executions in broad daylight, or if they had heard of them, they did not dampen their holiday spirit.
Canadian Heather Poliquin and her daughter Amy were among the crowd trying to find a good spot to watch more than 50,000 multicolored lights illuminate the tree.
“We weren't worried,” Amy told the Post. “We didn't even know [about the shooting] It wasn't until dinner time and that's when I realized I woke up early this morning, so I'm feeling okay. ”
“We heard about the shooting. We weren't worried. We were far away from there this morning, and apparently the gunman just followed him. [the CEO]” said another female NT.
One New Yorker who braved the crowd said that while Thompson's execution-style killing crossed his mind, he felt it was just part of life in the city.
“The shooting was on my mind, to tell you the truth. Yes,” said Bhushan Mondkar, 40. “In New York, things like that are always on your mind. But the security was crazy. From the moment I got off the subway station. Everything is blocked. They searched my bag. That's why I feel safe.”
After a pause, he added: It's a little scary. ”
A frustrated father of a young child said he wished people had paid more attention to the crime.
“Oh, the shooting here is crazy,” he said. “More people should have stayed home after hearing that. It's packed.”
Many of the tourists were more distraught than the deadly shooting at the large, chaotic crowds that precluded their chance to see the 10 p.m. performance or tree lighting in person.
“I can't hear any music. I came here a few hours ago to get a good spot and now I can't even hear the music,” one woman complained while smoking a cigarette.
Anna Marrero drove eight hours from Ohio with her wife and 13-year-old daughter to light the tree, but they were separated as police began erecting additional barricades.
“This is really, really ridiculous,” Marrero, 37, told the Post. “I just came with my family. And they put my family on one side and me on the other.”
Still, some were so excited to see the 74-foot Norway spruce lit up that they ignored the gunfire and crowds.
“I left three babies at home with their father,” Elena Thomson said in her thick Irish brogues. “They are 2, 3, and 6 years old. And it's their first solo trip! Last week was my 40th birthday. This is my birthday present to myself. And life starts at 40. It’s starting!”
“I came to see this tree and New York, and I really love New York. I want to go back.”
She called the moment the lights turned on and sparkled around the pine branches “magical.”
“It's a beautiful tree. It really is. It's amazing,” she said. “I feel like I’m living the American dream.”
