Officials say the injured man is undergoing surgery on his left foot at a hospital.
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Medics took the man to a hospital for treatment.
And while many of hobbyists experiment in their backyards, for those in NY, their backyard is Central Park.
In a Monday press conference, Lt. Mark Torre, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s bomb squad, said the device was likely not created to harm people but was a rudimentary explosive created by someone who had a basic understanding of chemistry.
Connor Golden, an 18-year-old college student who was vacationing with his friends in New York City when he stepped on an explosive in Central Park, is now in serious but stable condition. It appeared to have been put together by someone with knowledge about chemistry.
Police said there was no reason to suspect that the blast, on the eve of Fourth of July celebrations, was the work of extremists or that the explosive object had been created to hurt anyone.
The blast, shortly before 11 a.m., could be heard several blocks away.
A senior law enforcement official, who was not identified, told WNBC the explosion appeared to be a fireworks-related accident, although friends of the injured man denied they were playing with fireworks.
Details on the type of explosive and the reason it was in the park have not been determined, Nasser said.
“It’s sort of an ideal location conducive to conducting that kind of experiment or test”, Torre said. “There are no specific, credible threats directed at NY or the July Fourth celebrations”.
His grandmother said Sunday that his parents had traveled to NY from Fairfax to be with him.
Tourist John Murphy, visiting the city from CT, stayed with Golden until emergency responders arrived and placed a tourniquet on his leg.
While not confirmed, reports say that his leg was amputated just below the left knee.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday tweeted, “Dangerous incident in Central Park today”.
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