Gov't-Sponsored Hoax': Conspiracy Theorists Harass Man Who Helped Sandy Hook Child Victims

Gene Rosen becomes emotional as he speaks in an interview with The Associated Press, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photo Credit: AP

With tragedy often times comes conspiracy. There are, of course, the 9/11 Truthers and now, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, a growing subset of individuals are claiming that the entire tragedy was government manufactured -- or that it never happened at all. While reports surrounding these notions have recently surfaced, they appear to be gaining steam.

Gene Rosen, a neighbor who lives nearby the school (TheBlaze reported about his involvement in helping some of the victims after the shooting unfolded) has confirmed that the bizarre conspiracy theories are raging, telling Salon.com that he has fallen victim to critics' attacks. Rosen, 69, who discovered and then helped six children sitting in his driveway who had fled the school on the day of the shooting, is reportedly being harassed by individuals who dismiss Sandy Hook as a government-spawned cabal.

In an interview with Salon, the retired psychologist described the difficult scenario and the ongoing e-mails and phone calls he is receiving in the wake of the horrific rampage.

"I don’t know what to do. I’m getting hang-up calls, I’m getting some calls, I’m getting emails with, not direct threats, but accusations that I’m lying, that I’m a crisis actor, ‘how much am I being paid?,'" he told the outlet.

There's so much information floating around about him that he has a friend who sweeps the web every day so that he doesn't have to. Rosen has logged each phone call and e-mail exchange, too, and he has consulted with a retired state police officer who told him that nothing can be done at the moment. Still, he's keeping records for his own safety, as the situation doesn't seem to be simmering.

Social media accounts have been falsely started in his name, critics have dismissed him as a fraud and, as a result of all of the chaos, his wife fears for the couple's safety.

CNN has more about this issue of harassment:

"How are all those little students doing? You know, the ones that showed up at your house after the 'shooting,'" one e-mail read. "What is the going rate for getting involved in a gov’t sponsored hoax anyway?"

While Rosen was initially hesitant to talk to media about the harassment, as he did not want to enrage or embolden those who are already hammering him on a regular basis. However, after considering the importance of free speech and realizing that he was passionate about speaking out, he reached out to Salon and told his story.

Gene Rosen looks out a window in his home that one of the children was looking out of during an interview with the Associated Press, Monday,Dec. 17, 2012 in Newtown, Conn. On the day of the shooting, Rosen took in four girls and two boys that were sitting at the end of his driveway; they had just run from the school, among the first to escape Friday s deadly shooting. He ran upstairs and grabbed an armful of stuffed animals he kept there. Photo Credit: AP 

"There must be some way to morally shame these people, because there were 20 dead children lying an eighth of a mile from my window all night long," he told the outlet, while allegedly holding back tears. "And I sat there with my wife, because they couldn’t take the bodies out that night so the medical examiner could come. And I thought of an expression, that this ‘adds insult to injury,’ but that’s a stupid expression, because this is not an injury, this is an abomination."

Conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting are nothing new. Since the event unfolded last month, select critics have come up with bizarre notions about what unfolded. Some professors even jumped in to posit their odd theories, with one claiming that Israeli security forces were responsible for the attack.

You can read Rosen's entire interview at Salon.com.

(H/T: Yahoo! -- The Lookout)

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• ‘Our Teacher Is Dead’: Sandy Hook Neighbor Details Taking in 6 Kids Who Escaped Shooting