FOR five days Bolton-born Lisa Cafarelli’s family was caught up in the horror of the Boston Bombings as her husband, a police chief, formed part of the investigation team searching for the terrorist suspects.

And not only did Joseph Cafarelli work tirelessly in a volatile and dangerous environment to find those responsible for the attack — he led the SWAT team which captured the suspected “Boston bomber”.

Mr Cafarelli who has been visiting family in Bolton, said: “I am not a hero, but I serve with a bunch of heroes.”

The image of Mr Cafarelli on the boat where suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hiding was beamed across the world, signalling the end of an unprecedented manhunt.

Mr Cafarelli, the chief of police at Revere Police, spoke exclusively to The Bolton News about April’s Boston Marathon bombings — which killed three people and injured another 264 — while visiting family in Tonge Moor with his wife Lisa, a former Turton High School pupil, son Daniel, aged nine, and Sarah, aged eight.

Mr Cafarelli, aged 49, said modestly: “We found ourselves in the right place at the right time to represent law enforcement.

“There were hundreds of police officers there and it was fate and luck that we were there at that time.

“Words cannot describe how proud I am of the team and to have been part of that operation.”

Mrs Cafarelli, who has been living in America since her early 20s, found her family’s life caught up in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks until the suspects — Dzhokhar and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev — were found.

She said: “I am immensely proud of him. He was there with his team even though he is chief of police. He is always with his officers and will put them before himself.

“He will lead to protect them and not ask them to do something he won’t do himself.”

Mr Cafarelli was off-duty and the couple were out when news came through of the bombings. A colleague called and asked if he was watching the television.

Immediately Mr Cafarelli offered his and his team’s services while his wife tried to keep life as normal as possible for the two children — despite the city being on “shutdown”. The streets were hauntingly empty as the two terrorists suspected of being responsible for the two pressure cooker bombs were still on the loose.

Mr Cafarelli was deployed to the heart of Boston, a popular tourist destination as well as the capital of Massachusetts, to keep a high profile presence.

He was one of more than 2,000 officers on duty throughout the tense five days.

Mrs Cafarelli, aged 38, who met her husband on a blind date organised through a mutual friend while she worked as a manager for Enterprise Car Rental Company, said: “It was just surreal when the city was on shutdown.

“Being the wife of a police officer is a way of life and the wives supported each other.

“Joe didn’t get much sleep at all during the week. There were phone calls all the time, and more information coming in.

“I didn’t watch much television and, although the children needed to know what was happening, they did not need to know the gory details.

“I know that Joe is a very able officer with a very able SWAT team and could handle any situation.”

Mr Cafarelli added: “Protecting the children from it was difficult and Sarah drew a ‘wanted’ poster. The children are used to me working late shifts and the work I do.”

It was as Mr Cafarelli was going to bed that he got the call that the investigation was dramatically escalating with the shooting of police officer Sean Collier, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, on the Thursday after the bombing.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot by police. Then his younger brother, Dzhokhar, drove a stolen SUV towards police and allegedly ran over Tamerlan, dragging him 20 feet under the car. He later died.

Mr Cafarelli’s team was immediately deployed to search houses in the area to locate Dzhokhar.

He said: “I told my men we were going to stand down, and then I received a call to go to the house to where he had been located.

“We were receiving information all the time, there were hundreds of officers there.

“He stood up and because of the injuries he had received we had to take him custody for his own wellbeing.

“We pulled him of the boat and I was thinking he could have a suicide vest on, so I ripped wide open his shirt and determined he didn’t have a vest on.

“I was also concerned there might be someone else on the boat and I thought, if there is, we will all have our backs to him.

“So I decided to jump on the boat and gave it a sweep.”

He added: “When I saw him I just thought: He’s is a kid.”

His wife, determined that life should go as normal, had planned to go out and was in a restaurant when the news came through.

She said: “I was determined to carry on because, if we don’t, then the terrorists have won.

“There was a sense of relief. I knew I couldn’t speak to Joe because he would be busy.”

The couple say the community of Boston is stronger and closer than before the attacks.

Mr Cafarelli added that police officers had received messages of support from police officers, including those from Greater Manchester Police.

He said: “Through the week you felt a rollarcoaster of emotions, but we always defer to our training because if we did not then we would either not react or over-react.

“My daughter was the same age as the young boy Martin, who was killed in the attack.

“He was a kid who had it all and took the opportunities he was given so why does he hate my society which has provided him with everything.”

The two said the overwhelming support from across America and the world helped the community deal with the aftermath of the attack and Mr Cafarelli — who was in the US armed forces and was flown out to Beirut in the aftermath of the 1983 barracks bombing — said he dealt with the enormity of the situation through talking to his wife.

He added: “It was difficult getting back to business and the routine because of the adrenalin and part of your mind was still thinking of it.”

The bombing hit the headlines again last week when Rolling Stone magazine featured a controversial photograph of one of the suspects on its front cover.

Some retailers refused to stock it, but it was one of the best-selling issues.

Mrs Cafarelli said: “Joe is an extraordinary person, he always surprises me with his ability to think ahead. He is very level headed and very clam in a difficult situation and will help every member of his team. He handled it very well.”

“We saw a terrible side of human nature and then we see the wonderful people who make it all better.

“Officers deserve everything and more that we can give possibly give them. They do it gracefully and go the extra mile.”

And the couple’s family back here in Bolton could not praise Mr Cafarelli enough.

His mother-in-law, Joan Howarth, who lives in Tonge Moor with her husband Vince, said: “Joe has seen terrible aspects of life but he is still very humble, very kind and a tolerant person.”

During a church service at St Ethelbert’s RC Church in Deane, Mr Cafarelli was congratulated by the congregation.

Mr Cafarelli, who wears a Union Flag pin on his body armour, said: “It was Martin Luther King who said hate cannot drive out hate — only love can do that."

The couple are planning to take part in next year’s Boston Marathon.