Officials described the device that exploded, saying that three pipe-bomb-type explosives were wired together and was found near a boardwalk in Seaside Park on Saturday, CNN reported.
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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says there’s no evidence that the two incidents are related, but a connection hasn’t been ruled out.
“We were lucky”, the official said.
Al Della Fave, communications officer for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s office said yesterday the device appeared to be a targeted attack against the participants of the Marine Corps Charity 5k and said he has not ruled out the possibility of the bombing to be a terrorist attack.
The charity race, in its third year, is in aid of Marines and sailors and this year attracted thousands of runners.
No-one was injured in the blast on Ocean Avenue in the town of Seaside Park, which happened shortly before 3,000 runners were due to take part in a charity race to benefit United States marines. According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, no injuries were sustained as a direct result of the blast though it was audible for some distance and caused a great deal of concern for human life.
The beaches in that area and Ocean Avenue will also be closed “until further notice”, Larken said. MacArthur says that person needs to be “tracked down and brought to justice”.
It occurred along the planned route of the Semper Five 5K, which raises money to assist Marines who are injured while serving or the families of those killed in active duty service. But the start was delayed due to a suspicious backpack that was found in the area, authorities said Saturday.
The explosion occurred around 9:30 a.m.as spectators and runners were about to line up for the start of the race, according to New Jersey 101.5.
Later on Saturday a bomb was set off in New York City that left 29 injured.
No damage to surrounding structures was reported after an explosive device went off at 9:35 a.
He said the site of the explosion, outside on a major thoroughfare of a fashionable enclave in one of the most bustling areas of New York City, was being treated as a crime scene. Authorities immediately cleared the boardwalk and beach area, and bomb-sniffing dogs were used to search the area.
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A number of law-enforcement agencies responded to the scene Saturday, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be the lead investigators, an FBI spokesperson said.
