Hostage Suspect Had Troubled Marriage

SOMERSWORTH — Before Leeland Eisenberg allegedly strapped road flares to his chest and took hostages at one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign offices, he was in a troubled marriage and had run-ins with the police.

Court papers describe Eisenberg as troubled. In papers filed seeking a divorce, Eisenberg's wife, Lisa Warren Eisenberg, said he suffered from "severe alcohol and drug abuse" and threatened her.

Eisenberg, 46, was due in court on Friday at 1:30 p.m. on a domestic violence complaint she filed.

Instead, police said, Eisenberg went to Clinton's office in neighboring Rochester seeking help getting psychiatric care and ended up taking the staff hostage. After nearly six hours, all the hostages were free, unharmed.

Eisenberg was charged with various offenses, including kidnapping.

During the stand-off, a woman called CNN from the office, saying a man there was demanding to talk to the network, CNN reported after the crisis ended and everyone was safe.

The man told CNN his name was Lee Eisenberg and that he needed to speak with Clinton about health insurance. "Something's got to change. Ordinary people need help," he said.

He said he was a mental health patient who had been told he couldn't get help without "thousands of dollars" he didn't have. "I need help," he said. "I tried to get help."

On the tight cul-de-sac of 18 mobile homes where he lived, his neighbors were surprised that the man who kept his baby-blue rental tidy could have done the things police say he did.

George Isaacson, who has lived in the park for 19 years, said Eisenberg was "such a quiet man that I didn't think he would hurt anybody, let alone go walking around with a bomb strapped to his chest."

Rochester police however knew Eisenberg well. In June, he was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol. In April, he was charged with two counts of stalking.

Eisenberg also complained to police that his constitutional rights were violated when police stuck a flier in his unlocked vehicle warning him to lock it.

Neighbors said he kept up his small lawn, including raking up the leaves in the fall. They said he recently lined his driveway with granite blocks and mulched the flower bed.

Neighbor Lucie Sukduang said Eisenberg and his friends kept to themselves, but sometimes yelled at each other loudly.

"They had their barbecues. He'd cook outside. He'd always let his kitties out and then call them back," she said.

Police went to Eisenberg's home Friday and removed evidence in brown paper bags. Neighbors taped a sign to his door: "Please respect our privacy. We will not be available for comment at this time."

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