A massive explosion in the Chelsea area of New York Saturday night, injured 29, and shattered many windows in nearby buildings. Police evacuated people from two buildings.
The New York Post reports that a construction Dumpster outside the?Townhouse Inn of Chelsea at 131 W. 23d St. was the source of the explosion.
Police do not believe the explosion was caused by an act of terror.
The explosion was so powerful that the dumpster “flew from the north side of the street and landed on the south sidewalk without hitting anyone or anything,” a police source told The Post.
New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio, said only one person received a puncture wound that “may be considered serious.”
Even though the Mayor said the explosion was not terror-related, he did say “We believe it was intentional.”
Most of those injured suffered abrasions from flying debris.
Police closed off the block with barricades for two hours. They told most people to stay inside and not leave. Hundreds of people, including locals from the nearby neighborhood wanted to get to their cars or apartments, but were not allowed past the barricades.
During a press conference later, it was revealed that ?police received an anonymous phone call, which said there was a second explosive device in the area, but a location was not given. Several hours after the dumpster explosion, police rushed to 27th Street between Sixth?Avenue and Seventh Avenue.
Earlier in the day. the Marine Corps charity run in Seaside Park, NJ was the scene of a pipe bomb explosion. The bomb was placed in a garbage can. No injuries were reported at this event, because it detonated a few minutes before runners reached that point on the route.
