In suburban Boston, thanks and jubilation

Boston manhunt
A police officer reacts to news of the arrest of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Friday, April 19, 2013, in Boston. Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in Watertown, Mass. The 19-year-old college student wanted in the bombings was taken into custody Friday evening after a manhunt that left the city virtually paralyzed and his older brother and accomplice dead.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez

By JAY LINDSAY and STEVE PEOPLES
Associated Press

WATERTOWN, Mass. (AP) -- Celebrations erupted in Boston and beyond as the capture of the remaining marathon bombing suspect was announced in a tweet from police.

In the neighborhood where 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev engaged in a firefight with police while hiding out in a parked boat, dozens of people at a police barricade cheered and applauded as law enforcement officers and emergency responders left the scene.

Tsarnaev was taken to a hospital after his capture Friday night.

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The jubilation was widespread. The mayor of Boston tweeted, "We got him!" And at the home of the New York Mets, fans leapt to their feet and cheered.

In Boston, hundreds of people marched down Commonwealth Avenue, chanting "USA" and singing the Red Sox anthem "Sweet Caroline" as they headed toward Boston Common. Police blocked traffic along part of the street to allow for the impromptu parade.

In Washington, President Barack Obama declared Friday night that the capture of the second suspect "closed an important chapter in this tragedy." But he acknowledged that many unanswered questions remain about the motivations of the two men accused of perpetrating the attacks that unnerved the nation. "The families of those killed so senselessly deserve answers," said Obama, who branded the suspects "terrorists."

The president spoke from the White House briefing room after 10 p.m. on the East Coast, just over an hour after law enforcement officials apprehended Tsarnaev.

Obama said the nation owes a debt of gratitude to law enforcement officials and the people of Boston, a city paralyzed Friday by the manhunt for the two brothers.

"We will determine what happened," he said. "We will investigate any association that these terrorists may have had, and we'll continue to do whatever we have to do to keep our people safe."

The Boston Red Sox and Bruins postponed their games Friday as authorities searched for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, virtually shutting the city down.

The teams announced about four hours before their night games were scheduled to start that they were scratched.

Authorities in Boston suspended all mass transit, used by many fans to get to games, and told people throughout Boston and some of its suburbs to stay inside for much of Friday as the hunt for Suspect No. 2 went on. Trains were finally allowed to run again after 6 p.m.

Julie Pace of the Associated Press reported from Washington