Geraldo Rivera's Daughter Escapes Paris Attacks, Talks to Dad on TV

Simone recounts her terrifying experience of escaping the deadly terrorist attacks and getting stranded in the city.

Nov 15, 2015

AceShowbiz - FOX News personality Geraldo Rivera's daughter Simone, who is studying abroad, is among the survivors of Paris deadly attacks. She was with friends watching the soccer game between French and Germany at Stade de France when the terrorists attacked. After escaping to safety, she called and talked to her father on live TV.

Geraldo got emotional during the broadcast. "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."

The anchor also said, "I just thank God she wasn't at the rock concert, but was at the soccer stadium where, because of the President's presence, there was considerable security." He added, "You can imagine what it was like for us as parents, waiting for her to communicate with us. We are very concerned. We won't rest until she is in her apartment."

Simone gave her account of the terrifying incident, "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."

She continued, "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."

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The college student went on, "No one was telling us what to do. 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."

Saying that she's "shaking still," Simone revealed that she and her friends were stranded because subway was unavailable and hotel was closed. "They had locked their doors and wouldn't let anyone in," she said. "We just asked if we could stay in the lobby and they said no and then they locked the door."

Geraldo later took it to Twitter to inform his followers that his daughter was safe after a friend of his picked up her group. "Thank God daughter Simone is safe. After fleeing soccer stadium she was stranded. A blessed Paris friend drove to area & is taking her home," he wrote. "So happy our daughter Simone's safe in Paris after horror at soccer match she attended savaged by terrorists-Pity innocents lost. #KillISIS."