About 5,000 people were slated to run in the race in Seaside Park, a town known for its boardwalk located about 80 miles away from New York City.
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The start of the race was delayed because of registration problems, which meant that nobody was near the trash can when the explosion happened.
Just after the explosion, Della Fave said, the area was placed on lockdown, and police deployed bomb detection dogs.
“Our offices are in constant communication” with information that is evaluated and digested, Whittaker said, but he could not speculate on a connection between the Seaside Park and another explosion in the Chelsea section of New York City. The officials told CNN that only one of the bombs detonated and that they were set up with some sort of timer. Two of the bombs detonated, leaving 29 people injured.
The race, which had been expected to start at 9 a.m., had been expected to draw 3,000 people, including runners, volunteers and spectators.
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. No injuries were reported, and a four-block area was evacuated, authorities said.
The Manhattan bomb was just one in a serious of disturbing bomb findings in the area, as police in New Jersey were busy investigating an early bomb detonation at the Seaside Park.
Mayor de Blasio said it does not appear, at this point, that tonight’s explosion is related to a pipe bomb exploding on the Jersey Shore around 9 a.m. this morning. However, he noted that he personally considered the blast to be an act of terrorism, with the bigger question being who’s responsible.
Officials said they did not believe the blast was related to a Saturday night explosion in NY that injured 29 people or a knife attack at a Minnesota mall the same day, but declined to comment on whether the crime was considered to be an act of terrorism.
Police gather at a command center in Seaside Park, N.J., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, during an investigation of a pipe bomb which exploded before a charity race to benefit Marines and sailors.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill said investigators still don’t know the motivation behind the NY explosion.
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He said he’s confident law enforcement will find the person responsible. Some other community events went on as planned in nearby towns on Saturday, though officials said security at those sites had been stepped up in the wake of the blast.
