According to CBS News, Golden was walking in the park with two friends when he stepped on a rock covering the explosive.
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Another witness told the New York Daily News the man’s foot was “all but gone”. A firework that exploded when a 19-year-old unwittingly stepped on it Sunday in Central Park, seriously injuring his left foot, didn’t appear to be created to intentionally hurt people, police officials said. “The surgery was to remove his foot”.
Responding to the explosion, the student’s school issued a statement Monday identifying Golden: “The University of Miami’s thoughts and prayers are with Connor Golden as he recovers from this horrific accident that took place in Central Park Sunday morning”. Members of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force with expertise in explosives assisted, given the nature of incident, the official said. “I saw a divot that reminded me of impact craters”. “We will provide Connor and his family with complete support through his recovery and rehabilitation”.
“Beyond the caliber of fireworks just based on what we heard”, said Hinds.
Police in NY say a firework that exploded and injured a 19-year-old who stepped on it in Central Park probably was created by someone with a basic knowledge of chemistry, but not designed to intentionally hurt people.
Canine police work near the scene of an explosion in Central Park, New York, Sunday, July 3, 2016.
The young men said they were “slacklining” (where a rope is tied between two objects, like trees, in attempt to talk across it) when Golden jumped down and landed on the device. Some assumed it was a firework given the holiday weekend.
Lieutenant Mark Torre, the commander of the Police Department’s bomb squad, said he believed Golden had encountered homemade fireworks that did not appear to be created to explode from contact. Officials were scouring the park for other, similar devices, but there was no evidence more than one existed. A report in the New York Times said investigators believe the material was part of an “experiment with fireworks”.
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Lieutenant Mark Torre, commander of the police bomb squad, said there was nothing to indicate the device was “put in this area with a specific intent to harm any individual” and that evidence showed it was not meant to be detonated by someone stepping on it.
