Father worried about his children in Barcelona

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — James Stacey’s family was in Barcelona just blocks away during that terrorist attack.

“She grabbed the boys and pushed them into a clothing store as the gates were shutting on the entrance,” Stacey said.

James Stacey’s ex-wife and two sons fled in horror in what Spain’s officials are calling a terrorist attack, claiming the lives of at least 13 people. As the news spread, so did his fear.

“I immediately sent an e-mail, just making sure everybody is okay and then I saw more and more and- I mean it’s Barcelona and there’s La Rambla, and people go their to shop and to eat and I’m trying as hard as I can to get in touch with my ex-wife because I don’t know what’s going on,” Stacey said.

As pandemonium filled the streets in Barcelona, Stacey worried back home, not sure if his family was okay.

“They didn’t know it was happening when it was happening,” Stacey said.

His ex-wife and his two sons were a block away from where the van crashed into the crowd.

“You see these attacks, and you hear about them and you read them and your heart breaks and your heart goes out. And then, you realize your kids are a block away from what actually happened and the world’s a scary place,” Stacey said.

Saying moments like this make him worried about the world we live in.

“Honestly, you think ‘Oh I want to have grand kids when my kids are older.’ Maybe I don’t. Maybe I don’t want to be in fear, but, I don’t know,” Stacey said.

Stacey says he had planes to fly over to Barcelona already, so he is unsure as to whether he will be able to go there and re-unite with his sons.