The explosive compound that blew off part of the leg of an 18-year-old Virginia man visiting New York's Central Park contained chemicals readily found in hardware stores, a senior law enforcement official told NBC New York.
Connor Golden, who grew up in Fairfax County, was walking in the park with two friends when he jumped off a rock, his friends said.
The second he hit the ground, something exploded under his left foot and caused a blast that could be heard from blocks away.
Golden was rushed to a hospital, and his left leg needed to be amputated below the knee, his grandparents told News4.
Investigators later found a homemade explosive in a plastic bag in the area where Golden, who recently turned 19, was hurt. Police believe the substance was made by "an explosive hobbyist or experimenter," Lt. Mark Torre, commanding officer of the NYPD's bomb squad, previously told NBC New York.
The NYPD said Thursday the substances found are commonly and legally available for sale in hardware stores and can be used with other products to develop homemade explosive devices. Investigators said they believe the explosive was made by someone experimenting with commercially available products.
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Police believe neither Golden nor his friends had anything to do with the creation of the explosive, nor were they using fireworks.
A GoFundMe page set up in Golden's name to cover medical expenses had raised more than $51,000 toward a $75,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.
