“We are grateful that nobody was injured, but this is a serious act of violence against the people of New Jersey”, Attorney General Christopher Porrino told New Jersey 101.5 Saturday afternoon. The phones were also similar in design, officials said.
Advertisement
Authorities said that whoever made the bombs had limited experience, given that the devices in New Jersey and the one in NY failed to work as designed.
The description of the bombs, in both Seaside Park and NY, “bore striking similarities to the pressure cooker devices used by the terrorists who bombed the 2013 Boston Marathon”, Fox News reported.
Earlier that day in New Jersey, a pipe bomb went off in Seaside Park before a 5K charity race to benefit Marines.
Because the start of the race was delayed when someone found an unattended backpack, numerous runners had not yet approached the explosion area.
Earlier Sunday, Gov. Chris Christie said during an interview with CNN that he could not confirm the Seaside Park and NY incidents were linked, but that there were “promising leads” in the case.
Investigators discovered three pipe-bomb-type devices wired together near the boardwalk, authorities said.
Investigators said they found similarities between this device and the bomb that exploded in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood Saturday evening, but are not linking the two events at this time. “We pray for those people who were injured in those other attacks”.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and local law enforcement are investigating, an FBI official said. Shortly thereafter, another device was found several blocks away.
Registration problems at the starting line delayed the start of the race, which meant no one was near the garbage can when the explosion happened, a law enforcement official said.
The Department of Homeland Security says it is “actively monitoring and participating in the investigations”.
Homemade pressure cooker bombs were used in the Boston Marathon attacks in 2013 that killed three people and injured more than 260.
Advertisement
Authorities are questioning people to determine if there is a possible connection between the devices found in the neighboring states.
