Police search for people who tossed explosive from truck in New Jersey
Police received a report from a resident of an explosion and smoke from a neighborhood resident.
LAKEWOOD, New Jersey -- Police in Lakewood, New Jersey are looking for the people who tossed a lit explosive out of a vehicle near a synagogue over the weekend.
It happened just before 9:30 p.m. on May 20, on Squankum Road near Shafto Road, about 20 minutes after the end of Sabbath.
Police received a report from a resident of an explosion and smoke from a neighborhood resident.
The resident said he saw two pickup trucks, one light in color and the other dark in color, traveling slowly on the road just before he heard a loud boom.
A home security system captured what happened.
Police say the video obtained by TheLakewoodScoop.com shows the two trucks traveling in tandem south on Squankum Road when they stopped near a small, wooded section.
After a brief pause, a lit object was tossed from one of the trucks and into the wooded area, just prior to detonation.
Two pedestrians were approximately 50 to 100 feet away at the time.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
Police say they are investigating along with help from the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch.
So far, there are no indications that this was a bias crime. But the fact that this happened in close proximity to a synagogue and in the middle of an Orthodox Jewish community has become a cause for concern.
"When something like that is thrown and makes a really loud noise or really loud flash, it really rattled a lot of people. Children were scared, people were scared. It's hard to determine if it was Memorial Day fireworks that someone was fooling around with or if they were actually targeting the Orthodox community, but it certainly rattles people," Lakewood Councilman Meir Lichtenstein said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Kevin Donnelly at the Lakewood Police Department, 732-363-0200 ext. 5346.
