Boston Area News

ROCHESTER, N.H. (WBZ) ― A dramatic 6-hour standoff with a man holding several people hostage at the presidential campaign office for Sen. Hillary Clinton in Rochester N.H., has ended peacefully. 

The man claiming to have a bomb strapped to him was taken into police custody around 6:15 p.m. after being ordered to the ground by SWAT team members. 

The last remaining hostage was released moments before police arrested the man, who walked into the campaign office at 28 Main Street just after noon with some sort of device strapped to him. 

The man was identified as 47-year-old Leeland Eisenberg, of Somersworth, N.H.

Eisenburg claimed the device was a bomb and demanded to speak with Sen. Clinton, police said.   It turned out Eisenberg had taped road flares to his chest and held what appeared to be a detonator to make it look like he had an explosive device strapped to him, authorities said.

State Police said Eisenberg immediately released a mother and a child from the office moments after he entered. Another woman was released around 3 p.m. and then a third woman was released at 5:30 p.m.

Col. Frederick Booth said the witnesses played a key role in helping the lead negotiator bring the standoff to a peaceful end.  Booth said Eisenberg initially refused to talk with the lead negotiator so the hostages communicated between the two with their cell phones. 

Booth said the negotiator was able to gain Eisenberg's confidence and was thus able to get hostages released.  A young man was the last hostage to be released moments before Eisenberg surrendered.

No one was injured.

Eisenberg was arrested and charged with kidnapping, reckless conduct and criminal threatening at the state level.  Additional charges, including federal charges, may be brought.

State, local and federal authorities worked together and were able to "stabilize" the area and establish a perimeter during the hostage crisis.

WBZ Radio's Lana Jones learned that Eisenberg's stepson reported to police that Eisenberg had been drinking for two days.  The son said Eisenberg had strapped two road flares to his chest and told his son Friday morning that he was going to the Clinton campaign office.  He reportedly told his stepson "to watch the news."

Police were notified of the situation after a young woman carrying an infant ran into a nearby store in tears, saying she had been in the campaign office when a man walked in, opened his coat and showed them what looked like a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape. She said the man let her and her child go.

Just before the woman was released at 3 p.m., SWAT team members slid a secure phone line into the building and were then able to escort the woman out to safety. 

Booth said Eisenberg requested certain items during the negotiation process, including cigarettes, Pepsi and alcohol.  He also demanded to speak with Sen. Clinton, though no one from her campaign, including Clinton herself, was brought into the negotiation process, authorities said.

"As a tactical standpoint that would not have been wise because if we'd put that chip up in the first place there would have been no room to negotiate," Booth said.

Eisenberg will be arraigned in Rochester District Court on Monday.

A nearby school was locked down for a time during the hostage crisis.


Who Is Leeland Eisenberg?


Eisenberg was known to police before Friday's incident, though officials would not comment pending the ongoing investigation.  Residents told WBZ he had a history of mental illness. 

Before arriving at the campaign office, Eisenberg took a cab to a marine supply store at 10 a.m. where he bought road flares, WBZ learned. 

Natasha Drena works at a local restaurant and served Eisenberg just before he took the hostages. 

"He was quiet.  He didn't say much at all," she said. "He kept going outside to smoke cigarettes.  You could tell something was going on."

Neighbors told WBZ that Eisenberg was arrested two weeks ago for a domestic disturbance and had problems with his wife.  He was scheduled to appear in a domestic violence hearing earlier in the day Friday.  

WBZ received a copy of a lawsuit filed by Leeland Eisenberg, formerly known as Ralph Woodward Jr., against the Boston Archdiocese.  It claims Eisenberg was sexually abused in the early 80s by a parish priest in Westford -- Father Richard Buntel -- who was ultimately suspended by Cardinal Law in 2002.

At the time, Eisenberg says he was 21 years old, homeless and living in abandoned cars, according to the lawsuit. 

He claims Father Buntel took him in and later sexually assaulted him.  The lawsuit says the assault led Eisenberg to attempt suicide a week later.  The Boston Archdiocese released a brief statement Friday night, saying they don't comment on any victim of clergy abuse and offered prayers for everyone involved in Friday's incident.


Hillary Clinton's Reaction


Clinton flew to Portsmouth, N.H., Friday night to speak at a late night news conference about the situation.  She thanked law enforcement for their diligent work that brought a potentially tragic situation to a peaceful end. 

"It appears he (Eisenberg) needed help, and he went about getting attention in the very wrong way," Clinton said.

She made a statement Friday evening saying, "I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well. All of my campaign staff and volunteers are safe. I want to thank them for their extraordinary courage and coolness under some very difficult pressures and dangerous situations."

She monitored the events from her home in Washington, D.C. The Senator was scheduled to appear by satellite at a Democratic National Committee event in Virginia this afternoon, but she has cancelled her appearance.

Clinton added, "This has been a very hard day for all of us in our campaign. But even beyond that, every four years extraordinary young people come to places like New Hampshire because they want to change our country. They believe in our future. They work around the clock. They are so committed to their cause and I just want to commend every one of them from every campaign who really makes what is a sacrifice and a commitment. A lot of them postpone school, leave their families, move across the country and I'm so grateful for them every single day and I'm especially just relieved to have this situation end so peacefully without anyone being injured."

Clinton said she planned to stick to her campaign schedule and will be in Iowa Saturday.

Workers for Sen. Barack Obama's campaign office in Rochester also were evacuated, a campaign spokesman said. The office is four doors away from Clinton's. John Edwards' staffers and several businesses in the neighborhood also were evacuated.

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