Pipe Bomb Loaded With Nails Explodes In Fair Lawn, N.J.
FAIR LAWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- An investigation is ongoing following a terrifying explosion rocked a small town in Bergen County on Sunday night.
A pipe bomb that went off on Hunter Place in Fair Lawn sent shrapnel flying into yards and homes. The bomb itself was filled with black powder and nails, according to police.
"I heard and saw the boom, the explosion like fireworks, kind of like those big M80 fireworks, like things like those drive force kind of fireworks," said neighbor Faruk Chaudary, who was only a few houses away at the time of the incident. "Like 'boom,' I saw yellow -- the flash."
Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman the attack was not random.
"I'm not at liberty to explain that right now, but the people of Fair Lawn should not be concerned that there is some random bomber out there," Molinelli said.
Pipe Bomb Rocks Quiet New Jersey Neighborhood. WCBS 880's Alex Silverman Reports
Podcast
There was a crime scene several blocks long and rattled frightened neighbors.
"I heard the explosion. Dogs got scared. I came outside and cops were already here," neighbor Bonnie Wagner told CBS 2's Christine Sloan.
The couple in the targeted home has a small child. They chose not to speak to the media.
The explosive device damaged the truck in the driveway, leaving a deep dent in the asphalt, and sent shrapnel through the front of another house across the street, shattering a mirror and damaging the roof. No one was hurt.
"I had a neighbor call me and tell me a car drove by very quickly and then she heard the boom," neighbor Deb Koval said.
Koval lives a couple of homes down. She said her 11-year-old daughter was so terrified she stayed home from school Monday.
"I am really scared. I mean such things don't happen in this quiet neighborhood," Bethany Koval said.
Another neighbor said he "heard a car with a slightly modified exhaust system" accelerate away from the scene.
While investigations are focusing on the targeted house, there was damage to other homes on the street, including a hole in the siding of a house.
"Why would someone do that? What's the point?" Bethany Koval said.
That's what investigators are trying to find out. They were looking under vehicles and collecting any object they could find on the ground, hoping every piece will lead them to the suspect or suspects responsible.
If you have information on this case you can call the Bergen County prosecutor's office or the Fair Lawn Police Department. Investigators wouldn't say how much of the bomb was recovered or if they were able to get any other evidence, including fingerprints.
Did you hear the explosion? Sound off in our comments section below…
