"ISIS" Claims Manhattan Dumpster Explosion that Injured 29, on 23rd Street in New York City

Authorities are investigating an explosion in a trash dumpster at 123 West 23rd Street Saturday night as terrorism. The event occurred at 8:30 pm New York Time, in the Chelsea area of Manhattan.

At an 11PM press conference, Mayor de Blasio described the Chelsea explosion as an "intentional act." He said a second site four blocks away at 27th street was being searched. He said there was no evidence so far of terrorism.

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) says 25 people were injured, mostly civilians who happened to be on the street at the time. Chelsea is popular on a Saturday night, offering many restaurants and bars. Some were passing by in cars, where a small child was injured. Of the 29 injuries, only one is reported to be serious. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Manhattan_explosion

An anonymous telephone call to the NYPD claimed responsibility for the bomb on behalf of ISIS. It was impossible to independently verify his claim, or even whether the caller was actually speaking on behalf of ISIS.

The explosion was so loud, it rocked area buildings. People blocks from the blast felt it, heard it, and came out to see what had happened.

The exploding dumpster was located between 6th and 7th Avenues on 23rd Street, nearer to 6th Avenue.

The blast shattered windows in a five-story brownstone building and rained broken glass onto the street, a policeman said. The building is between a church on its eastern side and an apartment building under renovation on its western side.

FDNY bomb dogs were searching the area for other devices. The New York Police Department Counterterrorism unit is on scene, with search dogs. Presidential candidate Donald Trump told a crowd in NYC that the explosion was a bomb, reported the LA Times.

Some experts' initial impression was that this was an improvised explosive device, placed in a dumpster. In a press release at 10:30 pm, the FDNY confirmed that it was an "explosive device."

Speaking on Fox News, eyewitness Philomena Salay had just gotten off the bus at 24th and 7th Avenue. She described a very loud sound. "I saw a big cloud of smoke, it was shaking my body and the street itself, and it didn't seem like it was going to stop. I knew something was wrong, people ran from 23rd street and I ran with them. Then all the police cars and sirens were filling off the block. It sounded like a war, it was terrible," she said.

In Washington, the White House issued a brief statement saying that President Obama had been briefed on the developing situation in New York. "The president has been apprised of the explosion in New York City, the cause of which remains under investigation," the statement said. "The president will be updated as additional information becomes available."

A second device, described as a pressure cooker, was removed unexploded at 2:30 AM by New York City police, who moved it to the firing range to be dismantled

Earlier in the day (at around 9:30 a.m.), a pipe bomb exploded inside a trash can in Seaside Park, New Jersey where a Marine Corps charity 5K run, the Seaside Semper Five, was supposed to take place. No one was injured. Authorities are now saying the same person designed both bombs, and that the 2 events are connected.