New York City police said a 19-year-old man suffered a serious injury to his left foot in Central Park, and the man’s friends say he stepped on something that exploded.
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O’Connell said the police did not consider the victim and his two friends were part of the construction of the explosives.
The victim suffered a severe leg injury and faced “a possible amputation”, said a Fire Department of NY spokesperson.
Investigators suspect the homemade gadget was likely an “explosive experiment” that was probably created to “make a large noise, maybe make a flash”, concocted by someone with a basic understanding of chemistry.
He said it was possible someone had tried to light it on Friday night but the rain had prevented it from going off until stepped on by the teenager.
NY police said they were innocent victims, but have not figured out who left the device behind.
Eighteen-year-old university student Connor Golden, had his left foot “severely mutilated” when he stood on an explosive and triggered it about 10.50 on Sunday morning.
Police officials, who declined to call the material a device, said they did not believe it was connected to terrorism.
Officials have not yet said what caused the explosion or identified the injured man.
“There’s nothing to indicate that this was an explosive device that was placed or put in this area with a specific intent to harm an individual”, said Lt. Mark Torre, from the NYPD Bomb Squad. He was to undergo surgery to his left foot and was in stable condition at a hospital, fire officials said.
Police officers stand near the borders of a crime scene around the site of an explosion in Central Park, New York, Sunday, July 3, 2016.
The blast happened at 11 a.m.in the southeastern end of the park.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 230 people are sent to the emergency room each day for fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July Fourth holiday. The NYPD bomb squad was also dispatched.
The blast, which occurred around 11 a.m. near Fifth Avenue and East 68th Street, resonated through most of the park and was heard at the funeral of author Elie Wiesel on East 62nd Street.
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Medics took the man to a hospital for treatment.
