July 20, 2004
By Lisa Colagrossi

Police officers armed with automatic rifles and flanked by bomb-sniffing dogs flooded midtown Monday night, after a device exploded in the heart of Times Square.

With the Republican National Convention just a few weeks away, the NYPD is on high alert. They pulled out all of the stops last night to check out the blast, which they are blaming on fireworks discovered in a bag. But now police are now investigating whether the transit cop who was hurt in the incident was somehow involved in causing it in the first place.

Investigators say the unidentified transit cop was standing near a staircase at the 42nd Street subway entrance about 8:00 p.m. when he spotted a burning knapsack. He quickly pushed two bystanders to safety. But as he was calling for back-up, the bag exploded.

The blast burned the officer's legs. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital as hundreds of nervous commuters and tourists stood by watching emergency crews scour the scene for other devices. No others were found.

Investigators say the device contained gunpowder and b-b's.

Police do not believe the incident was an act of terrorism but the United States Secret Service and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are both investigating the incident.

The officer is being treated for minor burns to his legs. He is in stable condition and so far, his name has not been released.

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