September 4, 2007 -- "A blast believed to have been caused by a pipe bomb rocked a (Manhattan) Chelsea street early this morning, police sources and witnesses said.
Nobody was injured.
"It was just a very loud boom, like a lightning storm," said John Antolik, who works at a hotel near the scene of the 1:15 a.m. blast on 29th Street between 7th and 8th avenues.
"It was so loud, you could hear it from a block away."
The device that caused the explosion had been left near a red van, in front of an Italian restaurant, police and witnesses said.
The blast sent huge clouds of smoke billowing into the air
"There was a big white cloud. It must have gone to the top of the building, about three or four stories," Antolik said, adding there were few people on the street at the time.
"I went outside to check and people went to see what was going on, but police began moving them back.
"There must have been a van just around the corner. The police responded very quickly."
Emergency Service and bomb-squad cops ordered people to stay indoors.
"The cops kept moving people further and further away," Antolik said.
Police also scanned the area to check for other explosives, Antolik said.
Another witness, graphic designer Nina Chiofalo, said, "I heard a loud boom. It sounded really, really scary."
Could be a mob payback or warning but its been a while since they used pipe bombs. We'll see what develops, if anything. Remember, this is NYC where anything is possible and everything is muddled.
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