Residents and visitors in Oakmont were all smiles Tuesday when they heard fellow resident Marc Fogel was headed home.

According to a statement released by the White House, U.S. officials negotiated a deal with Russian authorities that led to the release of Fogel, an American teacher.

Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison in 2022 after he was arrested for possessing medical marijuana, which was prescribed by a doctor in the United States. Fogel spent nearly four years in a Russian labor camp. Oakmont residents celebrated his release Tuesday.

“We’re very excited about the fact he’s gotten released,” said Tammy Clifton, who lives and works in Oakmont. She’s been following Fogel’s story for years.

Clifton works at Embroidery From the Heart on Allegheny River Boulevard, across the street from the clock tower where Oakmont resident Tom Kerek would host intermittent prayer and meditation sessions for Fogel. Clifton would help store Kerek’s signs for the sessions.

“It was nice that somebody was making an effort to keep (Fogel) in the forefront because he’s been gone, you know, and things tend to fade,” Clifton said.

Borough Manager Scot Fodi said his first reaction was to cheer. The second was to find Kerek to let him know the news.

Just down the street, Mystery Lovers Bookshop co-owner Tara Goldberg-DeLeo also has been following Fogel’s story for years. She said the news of his release “made her day.”

“I’m thrilled to hear that he’s been released and he’ll be back home with his family and back in the country,” Goldberg-DeLeo said.

Nancy O’Leary of Beaver was eating at Oakmont Bakery when she heard the news of Fogel’s release. She’d seen his story on the news throughout the years.

“I’m so happy for his family,” O’Leary said. “They’ve been working so hard for him to get him back in Oakmont.”

The bakery’s owner, Marc Serrao, was all smiles when he heard the news.

“I think it’s fantastic. I’m happy for his family — I’m happy for America in general — that this is happening,” he said.

Serrao said when he’d first heard about Fogel’s arrest, it seemed “so unbelievable” that Fogel was detained.

“It’s just nice to get some good news,” he said.

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