An explosion rocked New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood at around 8:30pm on Sunday evening, September 17, according to police. The blast went off outside 131 West 23rd Street, injuring 29 people, with 24 taken to hospital, according to information provided by Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner James O’Neal in a press conference. One person had a serious puncture wound, according to commissioner O’Neal.
De Blasio and O’Neal said the cause of the blast was unknown but that, based on preliminary information, they had ruled out terrorism and natural gas, and the incident was not connected to a blast in New Jersey earlier that day. Mayor Bill de Blasio did say “we believe this was an intentional act.”
A second device was located on 27th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue. Reports suggested the device was a pressure cooker. Credit: Twitter/Jon Avidor
