Westfield Running Co. Employee Is Safe Following Explosions at Boston Marathon

Co-workers of a Westfield Running Company employee who ran in the Boston Marathon Monday say the 27-year-old woman is safe in the wake of the explosions that left three people dead and injured hundreds.

Jessica Barr, an assistant manager at Westfield Running Company — a local shop that sells running shoes, apparel and accessories for runners — said the runner was not injured in the blasts.

Barr's co-workers at the Westfield Running Company posted on the Cranford Patch Facebook page Monday, saying the Cranford woman was "safe and with her family" in the wake of the disaster. 

Three people were reported dead including an 8-year-old child, and more than 100 were injured after two explosions near the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon, which featured more than 500 runners from New Jersey, including runners from Summit, Westfield, Cranford and New Providence.

A loud explosion was heard near a bridge that marks the finish line in the annual race, the New York Times reported. The marathon has been stopped as authorities tend to the wounded and lock down nearby buildings.

NBC Nightly News tweeted that a "small homemade bomb" was the source of the explosions. 

PBS reports 562 runners from New Jersey among the 23,000 in the race.

In his address to the nation earlier this evening, President Barack Obama said: "We still do not know who did this or why and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all of the facts. But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find out who did this, we will find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."