Irish firefighter, 37, is arrested ‘for raping woman, 28,’ at hotel during Boston St Patrick’s Day celebrations – with cops forced to stop his plane on airport tarmac after he tried to flee to Dublin

An Irish firefighter has been arrested for raping a woman during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Boston.

Dublin resident Terrence Crosbie, 37, was arrested on Saturday from an Ireland-bound plane as he attempted to flee the country following questioning over the alleged rape of the 28-year-old woman , according to police.

The alleged victim told Massachusetts General Hospital police Friday that she had been sexually assaulted earlier the same day at the Omni Parker House by a member of the Dublin Fire Department.

Investigators say they have security footage from the hotel and The Black Rose bar and restaurant, where Crosbie and the alleged victim were on Thursday, as reported by Boston Globe.

Crosbie was charged with rape and ordered held on $100,000 bail.

If he posts bail, he is ordered not to leave the state of Massachusetts and his passport has been confiscated.

“As always in these cases, the victim’s willingness to come forward is crucial. This victim deserves enormous credit for doing this in this case,” said Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden.

“I am grateful for the vigilance of the police when they discovered that Mr Crosbie was attempting to leave the country before he could be held accountable for his actions.”

Officials said Crosbie was due to return to Dublin on Tuesday, having arrived with his colleagues on Thursday, but booked a flight for 10:10 p.m. on Saturday after his interview with police.

He then boarded an even earlier flight, around 7 p.m., from Logan International Airport.

Crosbie is due back in court on April 16.

The Dublin Fire Department announced Tuesday that he had been placed on leave.

They said in a statement: “We cannot comment on the specific circumstances, but we reiterate the high standards we expect of everyone who represents our organization at any event.

“As a result, we are conducting an internal investigation and establishing the facts in collaboration with the relevant authorities and the organizers of the delegation. As this is a criminal investigation, we will not make any further comment at this time.