WABC-TV reported that he was critically injured by the explosion, which it said occurred at about 11 a.m. ET as he climbed off a rock near Fifth Avenue and East 62nd Street.
Advertisement
“At this time, we have no evidence this is related to terrorism”, NYPD Deputy Chief John O’Connell told reporters in the park, adding there were “no specific credible threats directed at NY or the July Fourth celebrations”.
Police said the explosive material was not a device and probably was not meant to be triggered by someone stepping on it.
Shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday, Connor Golden, 18, and two friends jumped off a rock in the park, setting off an explosion that almost blew off Golden’s leg.
A man, center bottom, bleeds from his injured leg as he gets helped from paramedics, firemen, and police in Central Park in New York, Sunday, July 3, 2016. Investigators believe it was created by “an explosive hobbyist or experimenter” who had some knowledge of chemistry, he said.
Teams of so-called Vapor Wake Detection dogs were being deployed in NY for the first time as part of stepped-up measures to protect America’s most populous city during the holiday weekend. Only one of the three men is believed to have been injured, and was taken to Bellevue Hospital, which is located in New York City, where he is said to be in a serious, yet stable, condition.
Two of Golden’s friends told police they had no fireworks or other explosives.
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.
It is still not known who made the explosive or why it was left in the park.
A preliminary investigation suggests the explosion was an “experiment with fireworks or homemade explosives”, Deputy Chief John O’Connell said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Tourist John Murphy, visiting the city from CT, stayed with Golden until emergency responders arrived and placed a tourniquet on his leg.
“Was lying against a boulder with his left leg below the calf severely wounded”.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a story about the incident, asking people to leave fireworks “to the professionals”.
Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.
Advertisement
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
