Boston Marathon Bombing: SWAT - Full Account of the Manhunt
Things Police See: Firsthand Accounts
Steven D Gould
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 February 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Retired Waltham Police Sergeant and NEMLEC SWAT operator Jim Vaglica returns to Things Police See to deliver a full, unfiltered account of his response to the Boston Marathon bombing and the massive manhunt that followed.
Jim walks listeners through the moment the bombs detonated, the chaos of deploying into Boston, the tense overnight searches in Watertown, and the dramatic final standoff where the second bomber was captured. His firsthand perspective reveals what really happened behind the scenes — the communication breakdowns, the tactical challenges, the danger of unexploded IEDs, and the sheer exhaustion of operators working more than 24 hours straight.
This episode is a rare, detailed look at SWAT operations during one of the most significant domestic terrorism events in U.S. history. If you're interested in law enforcement, tactical operations, crisis response, or the Boston Marathon bombing, this interview is essential listening.
Follow Jim on X - https://x.com/JimVaglica
Contact Steve - steve@thingspolicesee.com
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Sergeant Steve YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@TheSergeantSteve
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Things Police See, first-hand accounts with your host, Steve Gold. |
| 0:08.0 | Welcome to the podcast of interviews, Act and Retired Police Officers, both the most intense, |
| 0:11.7 | bizarre, and sometimes humorous moments on the job. |
| 0:14.9 | Desai, Old Ginger Face, old ginger cakes here with you as always. |
| 0:19.0 | Guys, thank you for being here. |
| 0:20.4 | Thank you to everybody who's |
| 0:21.2 | found the show. Thank you for the crossovers from the Sergeant Steve YouTube channel. I love to see |
| 0:25.2 | you guys comment and interact and enjoy the podcast. It's so cool that the two channels are kind of |
| 0:30.0 | you guys are finding both of them through each little venture I have. So welcome and thank you |
| 0:36.4 | for being here. Today's episode I'm very excited for. |
| 0:40.1 | So it's one of those times that we talk about something in a podcast episode. And then I get messages about it and say, yes, please do that. So I said, you give the people what they want. They want it. Here it is. This is a return guest. |
| 0:55.7 | He's going to tell the whole, his whole story, his whole experience responding to the Boston bombing as a SWAT officer for the regional NEMLEC SWAT team. |
| 1:07.7 | You guys know him from last time. |
| 1:09.4 | He's retired sergeant from Waltham Police Department. |
| 1:13.4 | Who I'm talking about is a great Jim Bagliqa. |
| 1:15.8 | Jim. |
| 1:18.3 | Hey, what's up, Steve? |
| 1:19.7 | You hear me? |
| 1:20.3 | I got you, man. |
| 1:21.2 | Yeah, you look concerned there. |
| 1:22.3 | Were you screwing with your settings? |
| 1:24.1 | Yeah. |
... |
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