Tourists flocked to Rockefeller Center to light the Christmas tree Wednesday night, unfazed by an armed killer on the loose after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson hours earlier.
Thousands of visitors from across the country and abroad stood in line for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of the iconic tree in Manhattan, just two blocks from where the horrific murder was committed just before 7 a.m.
Tourists gathered and sang along to performances by the Backstreet Boys and Kelly Clarkson as light storms descended on the celebration before the tree lights were turned on at 10 p.m.
Many revelers were unaware of the daylight execution, or if they heard about it, they did not let it dampen their holiday spirit.
Canadians Heather Poliquin and her daughter Amy were in a sea of people hoping to find a good spot to watch the more than 50,000 multicolored lights illuminating the tree.
“We weren't worried,” Amy told The Post. “We didn't even know [about the shooting] Until dinner time, that's when we find out it happened earlier that morning, so we feel fine.
“I heard about the shooting. We weren't worried. We were far from it this morning, and the shooter was clearly just going after him.” [the CEO]said another NT woman.
One New Yorker who braved the crowds said killing Thompson execution-style crossed his mind, but felt it was just part of living in the city.
“The shooting came to my mind. Honestly. Yes,” said Bhushan Mundkar, 40. “In New York, things like this are always on my mind. But the security was crazy. From the moment I got off the metro station. Everything is prohibited. They checked my bag. So I feel safe.”
After a short silence, he added: “But it crossed my mind.” “It's a little scary.”
A frustrated father with a young child said he wished people would care a little more about crime.
“Yes, shooting here, this is crazy,” he said. “More people should have stayed home after hearing that, the place is packed.”
Many spectators were more distraught by the massive — and chaotic — crowd that denied them the opportunity to watch the displays or the 10 p.m. tree lighting than by the deadly shooting.
“I can't hear any of the music. I came here hours ago to get a good place and now I can't even hear the music,” one woman complained as she smoked a cigarette.
Anna Marrero drove eight hours from Ohio with her wife and their 13-year-old daughter to light the tree, but was separated from them when police began setting up additional barricades.
“This is really ridiculous.” Marrero (37 years old) told the newspaper. “I just came with my family. They put my family on one side and me on the other.”
However, others were so excited to see the 74-foot-tall Norway Spruce lit up that they couldn't make it to the shooting or the crowds.
“I left my three children at home with their father,” said Elena Thompson in a thick Irish dress. “They are 2, 3, and 6 years old. And I'm traveling alone for the first time in my life! It was my 40th birthday last week. This is my birthday gift to myself. And life begins at 40!”
“I came to see the tree and see New York and I absolutely love it. I really want to come back.”
She described the moment of the twinkling lights being turned on around the pine branches as “magical”.
“A beautiful tree. It really is. It's amazing,” she said. “I feel like I'm living the American dream.”
