Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera is relieved after learning that his 21-year-old daughter Simone is alive after being one of the thousands of people watching the France-Germany soccer match inside the Stade de France on Friday during the Paris terror attacks.
"My daughter Simone told me she heard the three explosions near halftime," an emotional Geraldo told Fox News' Shepard Smith Friday while showing off a photo of his daughter. "She didn't see anyone who had been killed or injured, but she saw the emergency teams arriving."
Geraldo had struggled to get in contact with his daughter, who is studying abroad in the French capital. Simone, one of Geraldo's five children, was among the fans, including French President Francoise Hollande, sitting in the Paris stadium, which was one of six locations targeted on Friday.
The terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Fox reporter said that his daughter's phone was not working during the attacks. Fortunately, one of his daughter's friend's mother phoned him and told him that the girls were okay.
"I'm used to being in the action myself," he said. "I can't, I can't, it's a lot easier to report these things and to experience them myself than if it is your child. She just turned 21 years old, she's a straight A student, she's a wonderful, wonderful person and a very gentle soul and we're obviously very concerned."
She contacted her father on live television to give a first-hand account on what she saw and experienced during the attack.
"Before halftime, we all heard a very loud kind of explosion sound but no one seems to make any, like seem worried about it or anything except for the fellow New Yorkers by my side but we just brushed it off as nothing," Simone said, according to Fox News. "And then at halftime, we went to get food and...they wouldn't let anyone leave the stadium at that point and they weren't telling us anything and they just had a bunch of ambulances and people in uniform starting to look very nervous... Then we heard two more explosive sounds. But again, no one expressed any concern."
"No one was telling us what to do," she added. "They were just herding us like sheep and we were all freaking out and then there was one point where we started to break away and there's this swarm of people running at us and we just all start running in this direction, not knowing where to go and then all the police officers were there with their guns ready."
"Tell us how you're feeling, honey, how are you feeling right now?" Geraldo asked her. Simone replied, "I'm shaking still. We don't speak French. All the police officers couldn't help us...we were all just freaking out."
Geraldo later posted a photo of his daughter on his Twitter, writing, "She is safe. Thank God daughter Simone is safe. After fleeing soccer stadium she was stranded. A blessed Paris friend drove to [an] area & is taking her home."
She is safe pic.twitter.com/TkcSNVTisy
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 14, 2015
More than 120 people died in the attacks, during which several gunmen targeted restaurants, a shopping center and opened fire on innocent bystanders, according to Fox News. About 80 people were killed at an Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan venue after armed men stormed the venue, took hostages and began executing people.
