Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was “no evidence" yet that it was an act of terrorism.| AP Photo De Blasio says Chelsea explosion was an 'intentional act'

Twenty-nine people were injured tonight in a densely packed Chelsea neighborhood by an explosion that Mayor Bill de Blasio described as “an intentional act.”

At a press conference in Chelsea, the mayor also said that it was too early to tell whether the explosion was caused by a bomb, and there was “no evidence" yet that it was an act of terrorism.


"We do not see a link to terrorism," the mayor said, adding that it would take "more hours” before details emerge.

De Blasio said that there did not appear to be any connection to explosions that went off in New Jersey today near the start of a charity run dedicated to helping families of law enforcement officials. The mayor also said there had been no specific, credible threats against the city.

The explosion went off around 8:30 p.m. in front of 131 West 23rd Street, according to NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.

“The exact cause of the explosion has not been determined,” said O'Neill, on what was his first full day on the job following the departure of Bill Bratton as commissioner.

O'Neill said officials are in possession of video that shows the explosion. Asked to describe the device that caused the explosion, O'Neill said, "Not going to go into that."

Police officials said a second device was also found in Chelsea and that location is being treated as a crime scene.

Following initial reports of the explosion, but before city officials had weighed in with any explanation, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said at an event in Colorado Springs that "a bomb" had gone off in New York.

“I must tell you that just before I got off the plane a bomb went off in New York and nobody knows exactly what’s going on,” he said.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, at a later press gaggle, said, “I’ve been briefed about the bombings in New York and New Jersey and the attack in Minnesota. Obviously we need to do everything we can to support our first responders. Also to pray for the victims. We have to let this investigation unfold. We’ve been in touch with various officials including the mayor’s office in New York to learn what they are discovering as they conduct this investigation and I’ll have more to say about it when we actually know some facts.”

Asked about Trump's declaration that it had been a bomb, Clinton said, “I think it’s important to know the facts about any incident like this. That’s why it’s critical to support the first responders, the investigators who are looking into it trying to determine what did happen. I think it’s also wiser to wait until you have information before making conclusions because we are just in the beginning stages of trying to determine what happened.”

--additional reporting from Darren Samuelsohn