A tourist had his foot blown off in Central Park after stepping on something that exploded, possibly a firework, police sources said.
Connor Golden, 18, was climbing on some rocks near east 68th Street and 5th Avenue with his two buddies Thomas Hinds, 20, and Joseph Stabile, 18, — when he stepped on the object at around 11 a.m., the sources said.
Witnesses said the explosion could be heard outside the funeral of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.
The NYPD has called in the bomb squad to confirm whether it was a firecracker that caused the blast or perhaps something more sinister, such as an explosive device.
Sources said Golden was transported to Bellevue Hospital with an apparent amputation.
One of his pals told The Post that they were in town visiting from Washington, DC, for the Fourth of July.
“He’s our friend. We really don’t know,” the buddy said, refusing to be named.
John Murphy, a Connecticut resident who is also in town visiting for the holiday, said Hinds and Stabile freaked out when they realized the extent of Golden’s injuries.
“The friends were just in shock,” he said. “He was severely injured. His left leg was severely damaged, all bone and muscle.”
Murphy said that when he walked up on the scene, Golden was lying on the ground his foot completely missing below the ankle. Despite this, he managed to somehow stay alert until EMS arrived.
“He was an absolute trouper,” Murphy said. “I couldn’t believe it. We just stayed with him, tried to keep him calm until EMS showed up.
He was in shock. I don’t think he even realized what had happened.”
When asked by Murphy if the group was playing with fireworks at the time of the incident, Hinds and Stabile denied the claims, Murphy said.
“I said, ‘Come on, guys, were you carrying fireworks?’ And they said no. And I believed them,” Murphy said, adding that he didn’t believe the explosion was the result of a firecracker.
“That was no normal firework. This wasn’t an M80 or a cherry bomb. Some something much more serious. I saw a diver that reminded me of impact craters.”
