A young man was seriously injured from a mysterious explosion in New York City's Central Park late Sunday morning, according to local reports.
The victim was climbing on a rock near Fifth Avenue and East 60th Street when he stepped on something that "exploded," a witness told CBS New York.
Another witness told the New York Daily News the man's foot was "all but gone."
Authorities suspect that the incident, which happened around 11 a.m., involved fireworks, though the victim’s friends, who were reportedly visiting from the Washington, D.C., area, have denied carrying any, The News reported.
"We don't know what happened. There was a small explosion and then dust," one of two friends told reporters at the scene.
A senior law enforcement official told NBC 4 that a bag of fireworks was found at the scene and that the NYPD bomb squad was investigating.
Initial reports said the young man was in critical but stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.
Witnesses described hearing the loud blast from several blocks away.
New York Times reporter Sarah Maslin Nir was outside the nearby funeral service for Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel when she heard the explosion.
Nir tweeted that she ran to the scene, where she "found a young man with his leg blown off."
Outside Eli Wiesel's funeral I heard a huge explosion just now. Running into Central Park and found a young man with his left leg blown off
— Sarah Maslin Nir (@SarahMaslinNir) July 3, 2016
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a story about the incident, asking people to leave fireworks "to the professionals."
Dangerous incident in Central Park today. Fireworks are fun - but let's leave them to the professionals. Stay safe. https://t.co/fQHjoRgARg
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) July 3, 2016
Consumer fireworks are illegal in the city.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 230 people are sent to the emergency room each day for fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July Fourth holiday. Most of those injuries are to the hands and fingers.
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