Seaside Park beachfront in New Jersey has been evacuated after a pipe bomb explosion occurred just moments before a military charity race was set to begin.
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The local Ocean Country prosecutor’s office confirmed the explosion and said there were no injuries or damage to nearby structures.
A 1-mile Semper Five “fun run” had been scheduled to start at 9 a.m., and the 5K race had been scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.
“The race has been canceled!”
Numerous state and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating.
Brad Cohen, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Newark, declined to discuss the matter at length during a brief news conference staged Saturday evening.
A reporter from News 12 New Jersey spoke to witnesses who said the race was delayed – then, a loud blast.
An initial examination showed the devices were rudimentary, with some type of timer, and only one of them detonated, two federal law enforcement officials told CNN.
Seaside Park residents who were displaced during the investigation were allowed back in their homes as of 6 p.m. Residents of ahe area of C Street, D Street and E Street on the ocean blocks will need to present identification to officers to access their streets.
“There is a report of at least one other device, which the NJSP will make safe”, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office released in a statement.
Ruedin said he soon saw smoke coming from the garbage can and saw other debris in the area, though he didn’t know if those items were parts of the can and/or trash that had been in the receptacle.
Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino confronted Gov. Chris Christie on the incident. Chris Christie on the investigation.
The run was cancelled immediately after the explosion. We are grateful that nobody was injured, but this is a serious act of violence against the people of New Jersey.
He described the community as military centered, with lots of veterans and active duty military personnel.
“We’re working together to conduct a thorough investigation to find out who is responsible at this time”, he said, adding that the investigators are “conducting interviews, securing evidence, and making sure there’s no stone left unturned”. MacArthur says that person needs to be “tracked down and brought to justice”.
It is not clear when the boardwalk and beach will reopen.
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The apparent terror attempt immediately evoked the Boston Marathon bombing three years ago when Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev planted bombs in pressure cookers near the finish of the world famous race, killing three people and injuring more than 260.
