Several shore events were cancelled Sunday in the wake of the pipe bomb explosion Saturday in Seaside Park and the explosion in Chelsea, New York.
Advertisement
Cops cleared thousands from the surrounding area and used dogs on the boardwalk and beach area to make sure it was safe. The turn out for the race, which was to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy, was far greater than expected and registration for the roughly 3,000 participants delayed the race’s planned starting time.
The location of the blast was along the route of the 3rd Annual #Marine Semper Fi 5K Race route and given the proximity, this incident is being investigated as a possible act of terror.
A law enforcement source said an initial investigation suggested the explosion occurred in a dumpster but the cause was still undetermined. “We will not rest until we find the person or persons responsible”.
“We’re out there conducting interviews, we’re out there securing evidence and we’re making sure that there is no stone left unturned”, said Brad Cohen, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A statement issued by Ocean County Police, Fire and EMS said: “An explosive device discharged within a garbage pail at approximately 9:35 am”.
Officials noted that if the race had started on time, a “good number of people” would have been running past the area where the explosion occurred.
Authorities said the lag in the start of the race, reportedly because of late registrations, meant the bomb went off before runners were on the race course. Officials described the bombs as a rudimentary timer based device. Nonetheless portions of the beach were closed for the course of the investigation, Patch.com reported, and other events in the area were canceled.
New Jersey Congressman Tom MacArthur, whose district includes Seaside Park, says the person responsible for the pipe bomb blast is “mentally unhinged”.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said no one should jump to conclusions or put out information that has not been confirmed.
Authorities say the whoever made the bombs had limited experience, given that the devices in New Jersey and the one in NY failed to work as designed.
Ocean County law enforcement asked that everyone avoid the area while the search continues.
An explosion erupted Saturday morning near the boardwalk in Seaside Park, New Jersey, according to police sources.
Advertisement
Mayor Bill de Blasio said early indications were that blast was intentional.
