A welder survived a shocking car explosion in a quiet New Jersey neighborhood Monday morning, escaping as the blast jolted residents awake and sent debris crashing into nearby homes, authorities said.
The 28-year-old man was sitting in his vehicle on Congressional Lane in Totowa, roughly 20 miles from Manhattan, at about 5:30 a.m. when the car abruptly blew apart, the Totowa Police Department said in a statement.
Police said the man managed to climb out of the mangled vehicle without assistance before being transported to a local hospital for treatment and observation.
The victim, identified as a welder, was conscious and able to communicate after getting out of the car, WABC reported. Officials have not released details about the extent of his injuries.
Investigators said early findings indicate the explosion was likely triggered by a leaking acetylene cylinder stored in the trunk of the vehicle.
The powerful blast shattered windows, knocked down fences and hurled fragments of the destroyed car into homes along the tree-lined street, leaving startled residents waking to the damage, the outlet reported.
“We heard an explosion around 5:30 in the morning. It was very loud, it sounded like a giant boom, so that’s the first thing to say,” neighbor Sheldon Blaine told the local ABC affiliate station.
“And we got up, and we looked out the window, and we saw the remains of a car. And the car exploded, no fire, just a concussive blast,” Blaine said.
“Our house, our windows was facing the explosion, they are all blown in. There are pieces of the car inside of the house.”
Blaine added that he and his family would not be allowed to return to the home until the local buildings department could investigate possible structural damage.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the ATF were called in to investigate the incident.
Investigators do not suspect foul play in the explosion, and an investigation remains ongoing.
