In Elizabeth, New Jersey, two men found a suspicious package in a trash receptacle on North Bend Street and Julian Place. They picked up the package and began walking. However, when they saw a pipe and wires the men put it down and called officials.
The initial discovery occurred on Sept. 18, 2016, at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The Elizabeth police called in the Union County Bomb Squad to deal with the suspect pipe and wire device. Mayor Christain Bollwage told reporters that the squad used a drone to determine if they were dealing with a bomb.
The drone was able to determine that the package might be suspicious and possibly a live explosive device. Police cordoned off the Midtown Elizabeth train station where the device was discovered.
Bollwage released a tweet that indicated there was no threat to the general public and that the package was being investigated and was secured. He further stated that a second sweep would be completed. Authorities wanted to rule out any other threats and their investigation included searching the trash receptacles in the area.
A bomb robot was deployed to disarm the suspected bomb, which was in a backpack. While it was examining the device, there was an explosion. Reports indicate that people heard and smelled blast. The explosion occurred on Sept. 19, at approximately 1:00 a.m.
Although the explosion was not controlled, there were no reported injuries. Once the bomb exploded, officials moved the members of the press and bystanders further away from the site. They did this because there were four other explosive devices inside that backpack.
This is an ongoing story and updates will be provided as they become available.
ritten by Cathy Milne
Sources:
RT: FBI bomb squad investigates ‘suspicious package’ in Elizabeth, New Jersey
NJ Advance Media: Blast heard at scene of ‘possible live bomb’ at Elizabeth train station
Image Courtesy of Thomas Hawk’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
