At least 29 people suffered minor injuries from what is now believed to have been an explosive device placed inside a dumpster at 8:40 PM in Chelsea, at 133 West 23rd Street near Avenue of the Americas on Manhattan’s West Side. Mayor de Blasio said in a press conference that the explosion was an “intentional act,” and that at a second site four blocks away, at 27th street between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue a second apparent explosive device, a pressure cooker, was found.
NY 1 cited witnesses reported feeling the ground shake. Photographs posted online show broken glass in the windows nearby buildings. Patrons were told to leave a nearby restaurant for their safety after the blast.
At the moment 23rd Street is shut down all the way from Fifth to Eighth Avenues.
Mayor de Blasio said there was no evidence the explosion had been an act of terrorism. The explosion broke windows and debris fell to the street. The dumpster blew up outside Associated Blind Housing, a 14-story building for residents who are blind or visually impaired, next door to a church. Police and firefighters are searching trash cans for additional explosive devices.
The White House issued a statement saying, “The president has been apprised of the explosion in New York City, the cause of which remains under investigation. The president will be updated as additional information becomes available.”
On Saturday, a pipe bomb exploded in New Jersey at a race to show support for US Marines Corps. The race was cancelled. The bomb was hidden inside a garbage can.
There were 3 pipe bombs, but only one exploded.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a man yelling “Allahu Achbar” stabbed 8 people in a shopping mall on Saturday night. He was killed by policemen.