Two Sault residents are now safely home after avoiding Friday’s deadly Fort Lauderdale airport shootings.
Anthony Miller, a former Soo Thunderbirds captain, and his girlfriend Jaden Cerasuolo, arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport early Friday afternoon to catch a flight to Detroit after vacationing at Cerasuolo’s family condo.
“My girlfriend (Jaden) and I are relieved to be home and we are so glad it’s over,” Miller told SooToday Sunday evening.
“It’s hard to talk about…we just want to move on and not dwell on the past,” Miller said.
Upon arrival at the airport Friday, police officers instructed the couple to take cover after a lone gunman opened fire in the terminal, killing five people and wounding six others before being taken into custody.
The shootings had taken place only minutes before the couple’s arrival.
Miller and Cerasuolo, who are in their 20s and attending post-secondary school in the Sault, first took cover behind bushes, then emergency vehicles, for several hours.
Masses of terrified people had fled the terminal.
The couple were eventually taken by an emergency services bus to a shelter where they received food, then made it back to Cerasuolo’s condo at approximately 3 a.m.
From there, they left Florida on a flight out of Miami to Detroit, and are now back in the Sault.
Esteban Santiago, 26, a former National Guard member who had served in Iraq, is the suspect in custody after the shootings.
“Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who have been involved in Friday’s tragedy and we are so thankful for the men and women in uniform who serve for the United States, as they did a tremendous job taking care of all affected that day,” Miller said.
