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Footage Of The Moment Of The Chelsea Explosion

by Jenny Hollander

On Saturday evening, just after 11 p.m. local time, mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press conference that there was no indicated that Saturday's explosion in Chelsea was connected to terrorism. It did, however, appear to be an "international" act, de Blasio said. Little is known about the cause of the explosion; between 20 and 30 people were left with non-life-threatening injuries in the blast, and one individual suffered more serious injuries. What is purported to be the video of the Chelsea explosion was widely shared on Twitter later Saturday night.

The 45-second video shows the explosion just after the 30-second mark. A bright flash of light can be seen, followed by understandably frightened crowds running away from the scene. It has not been confirmed that this video accurately depicts Saturday night's explosion.

Little is known about the cause of the explosion, or perpetrator of it — if, as de Blasio suggested, this was an intentional incident — but it follows a pipe-bomb explosion near a 5K in New Jersey earlier on Saturday, which was initially a source of concern for observers. There is no indication that the two are connected, de Blasio said in a statement.

Just minutes after the explosion, Donald Trump spoke in Colorado and described the explosion as a "bomb," linking it to terror by noting that he would be "tough." Hours later, reached by plane, Hillary Clinton cautioned against jumping to conclusions before knowing the cause of the incident.

"We should withhold judgment until we know more," she told assembled press, according to CNN.