19yo tourist ‘could lose foot’ after stepping on homemade firework

A firework that exploded when a 19-year-old unwittingly stepped on it Sunday in New York’s Central Park, seriously injuring his left foot, didn’t appear to be designed to intentionally hurt people, police officials said. The homemade gadget was like an “explosive experiment” that was probably designed to “make a large noise, maybe make a flash”, concocted by someone with a basic understanding of chemistry, said Lt. Mark Torre, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s bomb squad. There was no evidence that the explosion was related to terrorism and there were no specific, credible threats on New York over the July Fourth weekend, the authorities said.

When I turned around, I saw Connor lying there, his foot completely gone. It was insane. He was moaning and saying, ‘Get help.’

Thomas Hinds, 20, talking to the NY Post

Police identified the injured man as Connor Golden of Fairfax, Va. An unnamed eyewitness said Golden was climbing on a rock structure when he stepped on something that exploded, WCBS Newsradio 880 reported. He was undergoing surgery on his left foot at Bellevue Hospital, where he was reported in stable condition. Police dogs were canvassing the park for more possible explosives.

Central Park firework