An explosion in a crowded Manhattan area injured 29 people, and investigators say a second adjacent site is also under investigation.
Mayor Bill de Blasio described the explosion as an “intentional act” but denied any terrorist connection.
“Tonight, New York City experienced a very bad incident,” de Blasio told a news conference near the scene in Chelsea. “We have no credible and specific threat at this moment.”
De Blasio called the incident “an intentional act,” but said there was no terrorist connection and that it was unrelated to a pipe bomb explosion earlier that day during a charity run in New Jersey.
Officers are investigating a second device found four blocks away, which seems to be a pressure cooker hooked to wiring and a telephone. Reports state that officers found the device inside a plastic bag on West 27th Street.
According to New York officials, a gas leak did not cause the incident.
Initial reports indicate that the New York City event injured 29 people, none of whom were considered life-threatening.
According to witnesses, the blast was strong enough to blow out the windows on the building’s lower stories. It happened on a balmy Saturday night in a section of Manhattan that is usually bustling with foot traffic as residents and visitors walk about.
We spotted ambulances carrying at least three people away from the suspected bomb site. A car passing through the area has its back window blown out.
Police officials and medical personnel descended on the scene around the junction of 7th Avenue and 23rd Street, forcing bystanders away and redirecting traffic. The authorities issued a statement informing anyone traveling in the region to “expect extensive traffic delays and emergency personnel in the area” due to police operations. There were also major disruptions to Manhattan’s subway service.
J. Peter Donald, a police spokesman, tweeted that the explosion occurred at 8:30 p.m. Chris Gonzalez, a visitor from Dallas, was eating dinner with several pals at a nearby restaurant.
“We felt it, heard it, and the restaurant went really quiet,” Mr. Gonzalez, 26, told the Associated Press. “It wasn’t jolting or anything; everyone just went quiet.”
According to witnesses, FBI and Homeland Security officers, as well as the ATF arson and explosive task team, are on the site. Officials stated that there was no evidence of a gas leak. Officials stated that President Barack Obama was keeping up with events at the White House.
While it was too early to determine definitively that another device had been intentionally set, officials said an anti-terrorism squad had been called to the scene. Investigators will also be aware of the New Jersey incident that occurred earlier Sunday morning.
A pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, near the course of a US Marines 5-K charity race, leading to its immediate cancellation.
The Ocean County prosecutor’s office acknowledged the explosion and stated that there were no casualties or damage to neighboring structures.
The officials swiftly cleared the nearby promenade and beach, and they deployed sniffer dogs to search for additional devices.
The device at the center of the fear was modest and had been hidden inside a plastic bin liner along the course of the third annual Semper Five charity run, which had been delayed due to late sign-ins by some of the runners.
Al Della Fave, a prosecution spokeswoman, revealed the discovery of a second device close to the one that exploded. There was no instant confirmation that it had detonated. However, officials reported that a bomb team was already on the scene to “make safe” the device.
The alleged terror attempt immediately brought to mind the Boston Marathon bombing three years ago, when Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set bombs in pressure cookers near the finish line of the world-famous marathon, killing three people and wounding over 260.
Adam Carswell, a runner from Toms River, New Jersey, told NBC 4 New York that he witnessed smoke billowing from the garbage can following the explosion. “It was a big puff of smoke, fairly large,” he claimed, expressing outrage that the device could have potentially damaged others.
Officials thanked the backup at the registration offices for the run, noting that if it had started as scheduled, some of the runners would have passed where the bag had been when it exploded.
The incident occurred on a bright sunny day near the Jersey Shore, with a large crowd watching the race in Seaside Park. Authorities evacuated residents in the immediate vicinity and allowed them to return to their homes once they determined that no further devices remained.
