FAIRFAX, Va. (WUSA9) — A Fairfax teenager is in stable condition after stepping on some type of explosive in Central Park on Sunday.
Connor Golden, 18, was climbing on a rock structure and stepped on something that exploded, an eyewitness said.
"I was stunned, really shocked, scared," said Dorothy Prentice.
Prentice's grandson, Thomas Hinds, was with Golden in Central Park when a firework or homemade explosive went off severely injuring Golden's leg. His friends spoke to reporters in NYC shortly after the explosion.
"There was a small explosion and then dust,” Hinds and Joseph Stabile said. “It was beyond the caliber of fireworks based on what we heard."
The three friends, all graduates of Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, were vacationing in New York City to celebrate the Fourth of July. A friend of the victim told WUSA9 that Golden is laid back, likes music and enjoys the outdoors.
A part of southeast Central Park is shut down as investigators determine what caused that explosion. Investigators said the device may have been put there as an experiment. The explosion could be heard blocks away.
"His foot's all but detached. His friends claim he was just walking on the rocks and stepped on something,” an eyewitness said. “There was a divot in the ground where there was an explosion."
Golden is currently a student at the University of Miami in Florida.
He's in stable condition in the hospital. The Washington Post is reporting that Golden's left leg below his knee had to be amputated.
“It's really sad he's a young teenage boy,” Prentice said. “And he's very popular here and has a lot of friends."
Officials say it is still not clear what exactly exploded on Sunday. Investigators say it may have been a firework of or a homemade device of some sort. It is still under investigation why the device was put in the park. They do not suspect terrorism.
