Ex-Kinsman man recounts horrors of attacks in Paris

November 19, 2015 at 12:11a.m.

By AMANDA TONOLI

YOUNGSTOWN

Nathan Harnett, former Kinsman resident and current employee at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., and his girlfriend were vacationing in Paris on Nov. 12, a trip they will long remember but for all the wrong reasons.

Harnett said everything seemed normal in Paris that day – the day before the terrorist attacks.

“[People were] happy, excited and ready to start the weekend,” Harnett said.

While watching the Germany-France soccer match at a local bar on Friday the 13th, Harnett’s girlfriend was getting updates on her cellphone about a nearby shooting. Harnett said he grabbed his girlfriend’s phone, panicked at the nearby distance from themselves and the Bataclan theater – where terrorists attacked and slaughtered 89 people.

“I started to get worried. I knew that this was not a random shooting and that it was a deliberate attack on France, probably terrorists,” Harnett said.

As more people became aware of what was happening, the bar owner switched the television from the match to local news.

“The crowd grew silent. ...People were trying to call out to friends and loved ones to let them know they were all right,” Harnett said.

The bar owner told Harnett to hurry to his hotel.

“We were outside of the bar and saw numerous police cars and ambulances fly by. We knew the situation was serious and knew we needed to find safety,” Harnett said.

He and his girlfriend tried various means of transportation to no avail until they decided to take the subway.

“When we got down into the metro station, it was eerily quiet. ...The station that we were supposed to switch metro lines at was closed because it was right where the shootings were taking place, so we went all the way around it and finally made it home to our hotel about two hours after the first reports of an attack,” Harnett said.

Harnett said he watched the body count grow on the news. He tried feverishly to contact his family, mostly living in the Mahoning Valley, via Facebook and cellphone to let them know he was all right.

The next morning Harnett said the streets of Paris were empty; the Eiffel Tower and many stores and restaurants were closed; and military and police officers guarded government buildings, museums and tourist spots.

“It was obvious that this country was just attacked and the fear was still present,” Harnett said.

Harnett and his girlfriend flew home Sunday.

“The experience itself really opened up my eyes. Life cannot be taken for granted,” Harnett said. “I also knew in my heart that the people of Paris would unite and overcome this difficult time.”

in their country’s history.”