Connor Golden, 18, a music engineering student at the University of Miami, was visiting NYC with two friends from Fairfax, VA., when the trio chose to visit Central Park, his friends told theNew York Daily News.
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Forensic evidence from the blast has been sent to a police lab. Investigators hope to have the results back by Wednesday. A sweep of the park by sniffer dogs had not turned up additional explosive material.
She described her grandson as an active, ambitious young man. “Some people say, ‘Well, they’ll have prosthetics, ‘ and you know he’s eager for everything else, but his life will never be the same”, she told the TV station in Washington.
Officials have not yet said what caused the explosion or identified the injured man. The police department is investigating.
Police also dismissed reports that authorities were shutting down the 843-acre Central Park as erroneous, but fear and anxiety had been stirred around the park.
The late-morning explosion occurred when all three men jumped off a rock and the victim landed on top of the object, which had been stashed near the boulder out of the way of normal foot traffic, police said.
Investigators don’t believe the man who stepped on it or his friends are responsible for creating the explosive and officials asked that anyone with information about it contact the police. He is listed in serious, but stable condition at a hospital.
The blast, shortly before 11 a.m., could be heard several blocks away.
Police said they do not believe terrorism is involved.
Lt. Mark Torre, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s bomb squad tells The Associated Press: “The homemade gadget was like 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 was undergoing surgery, officials said on Sunday evening.
“There’re no specific credible threat directed at NY or the July Fourth celebrations”, O’ Connell added.
Tourist John Murphy, visiting the city from CT, stayed with Golden until emergency responders arrived and placed a tourniquet on his leg.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a story about the incident, asking people to leave fireworks “to the professionals”.
