By Anthony Rifilato
As the DJs, who host a morning show on 102.3 FM, answered calls on the request line at the station's West Babylon studio, one caller was clearly out of the ordinary. A 39-year-old man named John had called from his apartment on Grand Avenue saying he had a bomb strapped to his arm and, even more frightening, that he was ready kill himself.
Though at first the duo thought the call might be a prank, once the man described the bomb, everyone in the studio became alarmed and immediately called police.
"They really didn't have time to think about it," Hillary Blazer, the show's producer, said of Parise's and Luce's jump to action.
Keeping the distraught caller on the line and off the air, Luce and Parise gleaned important details, such as an address, and sent the information via instant messages on a computer to Blazer, who was feeding the information to police. Blazer described an intense half hour, balancing the urgency of the call while maintaining the show, which went on normally to listeners as they heard more music than usual, weather and traffic reports.
But behind the scenes, it was anything but normal.
"It was about a half hour of coaxing," she said of trying to get John to remove the bomb and provide information on his whereabouts.
"He was very intoxicated," said Blazer, who explained that his speech was slurred.
After Parise and Luce did some coaxing, Blazer relayed information to the police, and Nassau County police officers responded to the man's address and took him to South Nassau Communities Hospital, where he was in stable condition.
"They dialed us right away, which was commendable," said Det. Lt. Kevin Smith.
Smith said the man was willing to receive aid and let the police in without incident, explaining that no doors were broken down. "It wasn't as dramatic as it seems," Smith said of the successful police response.
During the call, John explained that he had spent most of his life in prison, was disabled, and that he was "treated like trash" by family and friends. He said he had made a bomb out of two butane canisters and batteries.
"It was pretty heavy," said Blazer.
Police said that when they entered the home, they removed the bomb and transported it to the First Precinct. "Apparently, he had no device to blast it," said Lt. Andrew Fal, explaining that the bomb had no detonator.
After the DJs were sure that the man was safe, they told their listeners about the situation, and played the call back for the audience and put it up on the WBAB website.
"It was very powerful," said Blazer. "We received tons of e-mails supporting this guy."
Still, Blazer said she hopes other people suffering emotional duress seek professional counseling instead of calling the show. "It's a cool thing that people know there's a voice for them," said Blazer. "At the same time, we're not equipped for that. I hope it never happens again."
