Bataclan survivor caught up in New York attack
The Parisian had gone for a bike ride in Manhattan
A survivor of the Bataclan terrorist attacks of November 2015 found himself caught up in this week’s attack in Manhattan, New York.
The 41-year-old, who gave his name only as Frédéric, told France Info that he was on holiday in New York for a few days and decided to go for a bike ride. He was cycling on the bike path that runs alongside the Hudson River, near to a policeman, when he overheard the police radio.
“They were saying ‘Watch out! Gun shot, gun shot!’ and the policeman told me to turn off to the left, not to follow him. I could see a body lying under a white sheet, and the police were all in a panic,” Frédéric said.
“I told the policeman ‘That’s not just a gunfight – it’s something more than that’. He looked at me and I said ‘I hope it’s not what I think it is… ‘”
Even after two years the trauma of Bataclan lingers, he said. “For the rest of my life I think it’ll come back whenever I hear a gunshot or explosion.”
Frédéric has reassured his family back in Paris, and said that while the chances of being caught up in Bataclan were low, those of coming across another attack were even lower. “Life is weird!”
At the time of the November 2015 attacks, the Bataclan theatre and bar was hosting an Eagles of Death Metal concert.
Overall, the attacks killed 130 people, including the Bataclan victims (but not including the seven perpetrators, who also died), with other incidents taking place on the same night near the Stade de France sports stadium and in several Parisian streets.
