Police responded to a scene near the New Jersey Transit train station in Elizabeth Sunday night after two men reported finding a backpack in a trash can, NBC News reported.
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No one was injured by the explosion.
Officials have been sifting through evidence retrieved from the scenes of the blasts in NY and New Jersey, a stabbing spree in Minnesota, and a backpack loaded with explosive devices discovered in Elizabeth, N.J.
According to the Mayor of Elizabeth, New Jersey the two men took the backpack and walked under a railroad trestle and around the corner before deciding to open it and see what was inside. The men had reported seeing wires and a pipe coming out of the package, Bollwage said. One of the devices exploded as the bomb squad was using a robot to disarm the contents, but no one was injured.
The FBI and the New Jersey State Police quickly stepped in, dispatching two robots – one of which accidentally detonated the bomb at around 12:30 a.m. this morning.
One eyewitness described the blast as “thunderous”, but there have been no injuries.
Ahmad Khan Rahami- the same man wanted in connection with Saturday’s bombing in NY – has been arrested in connection with the explosion in New Jersey.
People watch in the rain as police and officials gather at an apartment building in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Sept. 19, 2016.
A bombing in Chelsea over the weekend that left 29 people injured may have been an act of terrorism with foreign connections, and is now believed to be linked with two other explosions that rocked New Jersey, officials said Monday.
The Chelsea blast followed a pipe bomb explosion on Saturday morning along the route of a running race in the New Jersey beach town of Seaside Park.
It wasn’t clear when the Elizabeth station would be open, a threat to cause major issues on the Monday morning commute into NY.
Elizabeth’s mayor told the Times that the men first thought the bag contained valuables and carried it less than a mile, but called police at around 8:30 p.m. when they realized what was in it.
Johnson said residents should expect the closure to continue for the next several days.
“The drone indicated it could be suspicious and it could be a live bomb”, he added. “It’s unfortunate that stuff like this happens but we can’t live our lives in fear”, said Nicole Ocasio, 29, of Elizabeth, who has taken he train into NY for the last seven years.
The 28-year-old, considered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be armed and unsafe, was taken into custody Monday morning in Linden, N.J., following a police-involved shooting.
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A few blocks away from the blast site and shortly after the explosion occurred, investigators found a pressure cooker, with dark-colored wiring sticking out, connected by silver duct tape to what appeared to be a cell phone, officials said.
