The explosion involved at least one pipe bomb in a trash can at the time a Semper Five 5K race event – with 3,000 participants – was to be held for the U.S. Marines, according to authorities.
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A New Jersey congressman says the person responsible for the pipe bomb blast in a shore town before thousands of runners were due to take part in a charity 5K race to benefit marines and sailors is “mentally unhinged”.
The pipe bomb detonated inside a trashcan near the race route.
Bomb-sniffing dogs completed a sweep in Seaside Park at the site of an explosion near a 5K charity run route, and found no additional devices.
During a press briefing Saturday afternoon, Della Fave told reporters that the explosive device or devices were contained to the one garbage pail and no other devices were found in any other areas of Seaside Park.
At first, she said, it sounded like a “celebration or startup or starting gun”, but “since then it’s been chaos”. No suspects have been arrested in connection with the explosion, according to New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino.
The race was canceled after the explosion.
A total of 5,000 people were set to run in the race, which was delayed because of late sign-ins authorities told NBC 4 NY. The start of the run was delayed, which avoided a large number of runners in the area, Della Fave said.
About 5,000 people were set to run the 5 km race in Seaside Park, a family-oriented resort known for its beachside boardwalk, a local NBC affiliate reported.
Brad Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark field office, said at an early evening news conference that investigators had determined there was no longer any threat to the community. By 1 p.m., access to most of Seaside Park’s roads was restored.
“What the intentions of the individual, we don’t know yet, whether it was criminal or terroristic”, Della Fave told CNN. He did say there are no known threats to public safety at this time.
“We saw everybody roll up, all the squad cars, the ATF, they all came up”, Rumbolo said.
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This is a breaking news story and may be updated as more information becomes available.
