Remnants of bomb debris in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood (Picture: Getty Images)

A second New York bomb is believed to have been disabled when petty thieves stole the suitcase it was left in.

Manhattan was rocked by an explosion on Saturday which injured 29 people – but police believe another bomb was intended to go off in the busy city.

It failed to detonate after criminals dumped the explosives in a rubbish bag so they could walk off with the suitcase it was left in, local newspaper DNA reported.

It was a case of ‘Leave the bomb, take the bag,’ the newspaper said.


According to their police source, the second pressure cooker bomb had been left in a rolling suitcase four blocks from the first one and was accidentally deactivated when thieves removed it to walk off with the bag more easily.

God bless New York's petty criminals https://t.co/Q55H7tgoTA — Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) September 19, 2016

MORE: Alleged New York bomber Ahmad Khan Rahami arrested after shoot-out with police



Their actions helped police track down suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, because the mobile phone he allegedly left with the device remained intact.

Authorities were able to examine the phone, which reportedly included social media photos of him they could match to CCTV footage.

‘Who in this world finds a pressure cooker with a phone and just takes the bag?’ a law enforcement source told the paper.

Police said the thieves are not suspects in the bombing but they would like to speak to them to help with the case.

This is why terrorists will never beat New Yorkhttps://t.co/61nKaV9XVT — Daniel Niemi (@dlniemi) September 19, 2016

MORE: Video shows moment new york bomb went off sending people running

DNA added that it could have been the second time petty thieves inadvertently helped thwart this weekend’s attacks.

Hoping to find something of value, two men picked up a backpack which had been left near a train station in New Jersey on Sunday, they said.

But when they looked in the bag and found material for five pipe bombs, they immediately dropped it and called police.

‘God bless New York’s petty criminals’, one man wrote on Twitter.

Police arrested 28-year-old suspect Rahami after finding him sleeping in a bar doorway in Linden, New Jersey.

He was injured in a shoot-out with police and is being treated in hospital.

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