ABC News - Saturday, April 20, 2013

Wave of Support to Replace Boat Ruined in Bomber's Standoff With Cops

By CHRISTINA NG




America wants to help David Henneberry get a new boat.

The Watertown, Mass., resident became a hero when he discovered suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in his backyard boat.

Henneberry quickly called the cops and in a final standoff, his boat was riddled with bullet holes.

"That boat's his baby. He takes care of it like you wouldn't believe. And they told him it's all shot up," Henneberry's friend and neighbor George Pizzuto told ABC News. "He's going to be heartbroken."

Today, people around the country want to make help mend that broken heart.

Deborah Newberry, 62, of Orlando, Fla., has already put a $25 check in the mail to Henneberry's home.

"Something told him to go and check things," Newberry told ABCNews.com. "I just want him to know that people care about him because I know he's probably the guy that would say, 'Well, that's okay.' But I just would like him to know that we're all thinking about him and appreciate his spirit."

She believes Henneberry had to be "awfully, awfully cool" to emerge from a daylong lockdown, notice something wrong with his boat, find a bloody man in it and slip away to call police.

"Just listening to his coolness and how he handled the situation, it was like okay, that is a man who needs to have his boat restored," Newberry said.

When asked if she sent Henneberry any note with the check Newberry said no, she simply wrote, "towards a new boat" on the check.

"He don't know me from Joe Turkey," she said with a laugh. "I want him to go back to his regular little things that he do and don't have to worry about having a boat."

Florida lawyer John Phillips felt the same way.

"[The boat] is fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but that's what's significant to him," Phillips told ABCNews.com of the bullet-riddled boat. "If that's what the guy's passion is, I have no problem whatsoever chipping in and helping out."

Phillips, 38, is a personal injury attorney in Jacksonville, Fla. He wants to send Henneberry $1,000 for a new boat since he predicts the boat will be held as evidence for some time.

"He just had his boat shot up and had a terrorist live in it for a day," Phillips said. "If the dude wants an upgraded boat, let's get the guy a boat without terrorist blood in it."

Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau has been inundated with messages of gratitude and praise as well as requests from people who want to know how they can get a Watertown Police T-shirt.

"I'm getting emails and things from all over the world," Deveau told ABC News. "I got an email this morning. Some person in Detroit, Michigan who wants to replace the boat for the Watertown resident that got shot up. I mean, it's just incredible."

People on Twitter are echoing the calls to help Henneberry, hailing him a hero.

"Bravo, David Henneberry! You are a true American hero. I say we all pitch in and buy you a new boat. #welldeserved," one person tweeted.

Another wrote, "Some boat company needs to hook David Henneberry up with a new boat. His has a few holes in it. Holey #boats don't float."

Henneberry's boat is reportedly a 22-foot Seahawk cruiser with a fiberglass hull, which retails for around $50,000.

He did not return ABC News' request for a comment.

"It took more than the police department to get it done and that's the American spirit to me," Phillips said. "It's one random guy and one random boat ironically in a town named Watertown that's supposedly landlocked. Truth is stranger than fiction. You couldn't write this stuff and be believable."

I very much like this idea ~ I've also been reading that several of the injured survivors are asking for help with their medical expenses via Facebook ~ I've been trying to find a "general" fund to help but haven't been successful so far ~ if anyone sees one, please post a link ~

Sooz

If I was the boat owner, I'd want any/all contributions to go towards providing prosthetics and rehab for the amputees and financial assistance for medical bills to the other injured people, not to replace a boat.

laffin

I'm surprised some RWNJ hasn't offered to buy him a gun or two.

Let some boat shop/builder replace his boat if his insurance doesn't. While folks can spend their money any way they choose, I think helping those injured in the bombings would be a better thing to do.

Thanks very much, Jeanne ~ some BIGGIES are contributing BIG $$$, but much is needed ~

Sooz

Well, I think people should be helped with their medical bills and this guy's boat should be replaced. That boat cost $50,000. That's a lot of money. Indeed, I think the city of Boston should pay to have the boat replaced because, afterall, he was under no obligation to tell the city that he knew where the bomber was hiding.

My guess is that the city or the feds will buy him a new boat ~

But I disagree totally with your "obligation" comment, SciFi ~ he most definitely had a moral responsibility to report ~ the whole greater Boston area had been terrified for days ~ you need to understand he was in an "under siege" mindset ~ he and his family and his neighbors had been under extreme stress for several days and a full lockdown that day ~ several days of seeing police/FBI agents/SWAT teams in full gear roaming the streets and inspecting home by home, coupled with the constant messaging of "extremely dangerous and armed, if you see anything don't approach but call police immediately" takes an enormous emotional toll ~

Sooz

I disagree.
Since he was not under threat he had a legal obligation to report the guy's location. Failing to do so would be aiding and abetting.
Besides, he obviously has a much stronger sense of community and sense of responsibility than some.

First of all, as others have mentioned he was indeed obligated to report where the bomber was hiding, as a decent human being who cares about the safety of his community if nothing else. Secondly, this sense of entitlement (the city of Boston should have to pay for the boat) astounds me. If his insurance won't cover it, let him sue the bomber (the actual responsible party) for damages, assuming he lives. He's out a boat, not his home, not his life or limbs.

If he has insurance, he's probably covered. The exceptions are usually riot, insurrection and/or war. This was a police operation and if his insurer wants $millions of bad publicity....
If he doesn't have insurance then, too bad - wrong decision.

let him sue the bomber (the actual responsible party) for damages

The police helped damage that boat, too. And I doubt a lawsuit against some teenage terrorist is going to result in restitution to the tune of $50K.

I really don't understand this resentment over the fact that folks want to be generous and buy the guy a new boat. He didn't ASK for anything, he didn't complain, he didn't hesitate to do the right thing.

Why the need to crap all over such a nice thing? Geez!

Stating facts isn't crapping over a nice thing". If folks want to buy him a new boat it's a good thing but it doesn't change the reality.

The way things are in New England: Watertown is a separate city, with its own police force, not Boston. There were many police units involved in the shootout including Mass State Police and FBI. None of those entities has the budget to replace people's property that is lost or damaged as a result of law enforcement activities. In that part of the country, law enforcement enjoys a lot of respect. Everyone has a relative that is on the force, the fire department, or is in some way a first responder. Only a criminal would sue the department. Unless he has a boat loan that requires the kind of insurance that would cover everything, he would be like most boat owners who have liability insurance and fire insurance and not much else.

I think its great that people want to buy him a new boat. I also think its great that people want to help the victims. Send in your checks, folks.

Sooz, I was talking about legal obligation. He was not legally obligated to tell the city that he knew where the suspect was hiding. If citizens know they run the risk of facing financial loss for reporting such things, people will stop reporting them. If someone faces financial loss for reporting a crime or where criminals are hiding, they should be compensated for any loss they might incur. It should be written into law.

What should be and what is are frequently two different things.

Of course he was under a legal obligation to inform the authorities.

Cattleman: And what legal authority would that be?

I am not aware of any law that requires citizens to report crimes or to report where criminals are hiding.

---

David Henneberry, the boat owner, announced on CNN's Anderson Cooper this evening that he will put all monies donated to him towards a new boat into OneFundBoston, and that he doesn't want a new boat. He said he has a canoe in his garage and he's fine with that.

I am not aware of any law that requires citizens to report crimes or to report where criminals are hiding.

It is called misprision of felony.

And?

David Henneberry is my kind of guy! ~

Sooz

Indeed, Sooz.
And he likely wnats to be left alone to go about his life.