Explosion That Injured Man In New York’s Central Park Likely ‘An Experiment’

In an explosion that severely injured a man in New York’s Central Park, officials have stated that the incident was likely “an experiment with fireworks or explosives.” The evidence does not suggest that the device was made deliberately to hurt anyone.

The police have not identified what explosives were used, but they do not believe the event was connected to terrorism, according to ABC News. Commanding officer of the NYPD bomb squad, Mark Torre, commented that the investigators are leaning towards the likelihood of the explosive being the work of an explosive “hobbyist,” or an amateur who knows some chemistry.

The explosive was triggered when stepped on, and Torre indicated that it could have been some sort of “experiment” that was not meant to explode.

The explosion occurred near the entrance to the Central Park Zoo. Three men were walking in the nearby area of the park at the time of the explosion, and one of them sustained severe injuries to his foot, according to a New York Police Department spokesperson.

The victim was an 18-year-old male, and stated that his friends were not suspects, nor were they injured in the explosion. The injured man, Connor Golden, was taken to Bellevue Hospital with a “possible amputation,” according to a Fire Department of New York spokesperson. Officials reported that he was in serious but stable condition.

According to one of Golden’s friends, 20-year-old Thomas Hinds, the explosion was “definitely not a firecracker.” He mentioned that Golden’s foot was “severely mutilated” by the explosion.

“We were climbing down the rocks, Connor was 6 feet behind me and all of a sudden I felt the explosion on my back,” Hinds recalled. “The explosion sounded like a gunshot next to my ears. I turned around and saw his foot which wasn’t completely blown off but was severely mutilated. My other friend Matthew [Stabile, 18] was behind Connor and all he saw was a massive amount of dirt go flying up in the air. My understanding, I could be wrong, is he’s in surgery right now and they are hoping to keep his foot.”

A portion of the park was closed as the police continue to investigate the mysterious explosion.