Moon Patch Editor Joins Chanting, Flag-Draped Throng in Times Square

Moon Patch Local Editor Jenna Staul was in Times Square overnight and witnessed New York City's reaction to Osama Bin Laden's death. She filed this report:

I heard someone say it was like New Year's Eve.

Late Sunday night, a crowd began to gather in the nighttime glow of Times Square. By 1 a.m., a growing swarm of people huddled below the ABC News Building -- some of them draped in American flags, some dancing. Over the sound of honking taxi cabs and a bagpipe troupe, nearly everyone chanted.

Above their heads, a brightly lit headline scrolled on the electronic screen: "Breaking News: Osama Bin Laden Has Been Killed."

You could say that it was a pretty good night to be in New York City.

When I found myself just a few blocks from Times Square Sunday night, like many curious out-of-towners, I felt compelled to take in the historic moment. I wanted to see New York's reaction to the death of the al-Qaida leader who was believed to have orchestrated the 9/11 terror attacks that left an indelible mark on the city's heart.

For this city, it was not only a night of celebration, but a night of closure. 

"We were going to go to Ground Zero," said Katie Fitzsimmons, a recent University of Pittsburgh graduate who now lives in New York City."But we were getting texts from Pittsburgh saying that everyone was in Times Square."

 A native of Uniontown, Fayette County, Fitzsimmons now lives in the North Bronx and studies at Columbia University. She said she was with friends when she heard the news. 

"We saw the news and we [said], 'Why aren't we down there [in Times Square] celebrating?' " she said.