Boston Marathon II?
There was clearly an attack on our US military members and their families. Thank God the race was delayed…
Anyone living the the area of the Seaside Park in NJ are being asked to stay inside their homes:
"Stay inside your home!" Seaside Park police as they patrol Ocean Aveune.
— Kurt Siegelin (@kurtsiegelin) September 17, 2016
The beach and boardwalk in Seaside Park have been evacuated due to a pipe bomb explosion in a trash can, which came moments before a charity race for U.S. service members was set to begin.
* Blast happened when runners would've been nearby had race started on time.
* Time was right around 9:30.— Kurt Siegelin (@kurtsiegelin) September 17, 2016
Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Al Della Fave says “multiple additional devices” were wired to the pipe bomb that was detonated, but the others did not go off.
Not going to lie, parallels with Boston cannot be overstated. Thankfully, no injuries. Amazing luck the race was delayed. Amazing.
— Kurt Siegelin (@kurtsiegelin) September 17, 2016
A four-block area around the site has been evacuated, and some residents are being ordered to stay indoors as authorities continue to search for any more suspicious items. Route 35 is closed, and no incoming traffic is being permitted into Seaside Park. Only outbound traffic is permitted.
Over 1600 runners were here for Semper Five. Race canceled.#seasidepark #5k
— Kurt Siegelin (@kurtsiegelin) September 17, 2016
Runners in the charity race had been scheduled to pass by the area at the time of the blast, but the event had coincidentally been delayed. No injuries were reported.
From the Seaside Semper Five 5K run website:
Here is a video explaining the MARSOC Foundation for whom the charity race was organized:
The race was a Semper Five event for U.S. Marines. The explosion occurred at 9:35 a.m., five minutes after the race had been scheduled to begin. The site of the blast was about three-quarters of a mile from the initial starting line. A shorter “fun run” event for youth runners had also just ended when the blast occurred.
Della Fave, the prosecutor’s office spokesman, says it is too soon to know whether the bomb was placed with criminal or terroristic motives. But he agreed that the incident appears to have targeted U.S. military members and their families, due to the timing and nature of the detonation.
A photo of the garbage can where the blast occurred was snapped by witness Chad Ruedin. It shows that the bottom of the can had been completely blown off. Ruedin says he was a couple blocks away from the blast site, but assumed the cannon-like sound was to signal the start of the 5K race when he heard it. He says he walked over and snapped the photo of the garbage can as police began to arrive.
Another witness who spoke with News 12 said he was about a quarter of a mile away from the site of the explosion. He heard it from his location and saw a puff of white smoke rise about 30 to 35 feet in the air.
A suspicious backpack was also found in the area around the race start time and was reported by a passerby. That backpack was later claimed by a high school runner and was determined to have been unrelated to the explosion.
The prosecutor’s office says the race was delayed due to strong turnout and last-minute registrations.
About 3,000 people, including 1,600 runners, had been in the area at the time for the event, which is intended to support U.S. military service members.
The 5K Semper Five race was canceled following the explosion.
Via: New Jersey News 12