Exactly one week after Newark was gripped by a bomb scare, the city of Irvington got one of its own. This time, something really did explode.
Several eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud blast in the morning near the heart of Irvington Center, the main shopping district of the township. One of these witnesses included Zeb Cantlow, a local fitness trainer with a facility at 2 Union Avenue not too far from the scene. He believed the blast occurred near the Supremo Supermarket on Springfield Avenue.
Despite the scary nature of the situation, all the witnesses questioned suggested that the blast had to be small, as no serious ground trembling was felt and no extended echo was heard.
In response to the situation, Mayor Wayne Smith said, "I have received information at around ten in the morning. We have cordoned off the area from Supremo Supermarket to Irvington Bus Terminal, and we have the person who supposedly called it in. We have not arrested the person, but we have a person of interest. The bomb information may be a hoax. This is still under investigation."
On Wednesday July 14, a device that looked very much like a bomb was found in a car on Oliver Street in Newark. Again, it was in the area of 10 a.m. The event resulted in the deployment of the bomb squad and a robot, street closures, traffic backups, and delayed train service. Hours later, Police Director Garry McCarthy reported the threat to be a hoax, as the device was considered harmless.
Nonetheless, citizens are concerned as to whether or not these incidents may be test runs for something worse to come.
UPDATE: At 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, Mayor Smith called, and said to Local Talk that the bomb squad tested a device in question, and caused the blast safely per standard procedure.
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