text: A college kid had his foot blown off in Central Park on Sunday after stepping on a homemade firecracker, officials said. 
   
   Connor Golden, 18, was climbing on rocks near East 60th Street and Fifth Avenue with two buddies — Thomas Hinds, 20, and Matthew Stabile, 18 — when he stepped on the object around 11 a.m., according to police. 
   
   “His foot was mutilated,” said Hinds, who spoke to The Post from the 19th Precinct on Sunday afternoon. 
   
   “I was walking in front of him and suddenly heard this extremely loud explosion directly behind me. When I turned around, I saw Connor lying there, his foot completely gone. It was insane. He was moaning and saying, ‘Get help.’ ” 
   
   After the incident, the NYPD’s bomb squad was called in to confirm whether it was a firecracker that caused the explosion and not something more sinister. They determined that the blast was, in fact, the result of “explosive experimentation,” or the making of one’s own fireworks. 
   
   “It is not unusual for the public to make or try to create homemade fireworks around the Fourth of July,” explained Lt. Mark Torre, head of the NYPD Bomb Squad. “This is a time of a year where typically we will see a lot of experimentation — explosive experimenters, if you will. Their goal is to make a loud noise, maybe make a flash. They like to make noise and sort of play with fireworks, and it’s even better if they can make their own.” 
   
   Law enforcement sources told The Post that whoever left the device was likely not trying to cause any intentional harm to anyone. 
   
   “It was a homemade device. They probably tried to light it on Friday night, but it didn’t go off because of the rain,” a source said. “[Investigators] found wet matches near it. It probably just went off because of the friction of him stepping on it.” 
   
   Officials also confirmed that the tiny explosive was in a brown bag and did not appear to be designed to be pressure-sensitive. 
   
   “There is some forensic evidence that indicates that it was not meant go off by someone stepping on it,” Torre said. “It was there longer than a day.” 
   
   According to Hinds, Golden and his friends arrived in New York on Saturday evening. 
   
   He said the trio are high school buddies and were in town visiting from Fairfax, Va., for the Fourth of July holiday. 
   
   Golden is a student at the University of Miami in Florida, Hinds attends Northwestern University and Stabile is enrolled at Bard College, Hinds said. 
   
   On Sunday, just one day into their vacation, the trio decided to try to find some places in Central Park to go slacklining — an outdoor activity where people tie a rope between two objects and attempt to walk across it. 
   
   “We were planning on slacklining between some trees,” Hinds explained. “We were getting up on the rocks to get a good look at the area. We walked up there totally normal, saw nothing suspicious, and then on our walk down, it happened.” 
   
   Sources said Golden was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he would undergo surgery. 
   
   Witnesses in the area said the makeshift firecracker that he stepped on could be heard outside the funeral of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. 
   
   “At first, I though we were being attacked,” Hinds said. “It was a very loud explosion, and I couldn’t help but think of all the stuff in the news. That’s just what your mind automatically jumps to. But when I turned around and saw that [Connor] had stepped on something and was hurt, I went into shock. I realized that that could’ve been me. I went ahead first and the place where he stepped was inches away from where I was walking.” 
   
   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.” 
   
   Karma Thrinley Nyima, a 49-year-old who sells pictures from a stand in Central Park, described seeing a man use his belt to make a tourniquet in an attempt to stop the bleeding. 
   
   “I saw the leg from far away. I got very scared,” he said. “The leg was bleeding and one guy took off his belt and was trying to stop the blood. I was too scared to go over there.” 
   
   Authorities had been speaking to Hinds and Stabile at the Central Park Precinct and 19th Precinct, respectively, to find out whether they were playing with fireworks at the time of the incident. But they eventually were able to prove that this was not the case. 
   
   “The victim and his two friends, we don’t consider them to be part of the construction of this object,” Torre said. 
   
   Hinds told The Post that cops had been grilling him for hours about the incident — and were at one point implying that it was their fault — even though he repeatedly insisted they did not have any fireworks. 
   
   “It’s ridiculous. They’ve been asking me questions for two hours,” he said. “They want us to admit that we were playing with fireworks, but we really weren’t. We didn’t have anything on us explosive at all. But I know how it goes. If it was just us f–king around with fireworks, it would be a lot easier for them. But it’s not. And that’s actually really scary. Why would we do that?!” 
   
   In a Facebook post written July 1, Hinds describes “feeling pumped” about spending time in the Big Apple. 
   
   “All y’all New York types better prepare thyselves,” he said. 
   
   Hinds later recalled how he and his friends were planning on eventually heading upstate to go camping in the Adirondack Mountains — and how Golden was really looking forward to it. 
   
   “Connor is a really laid-back guy who really likes music and the outdoors,” Hinds said. “We love to go camping together, so on the fifth day of our trip, we were gonna head upstate to the Adirondacks for the weekend and then head home. But that’s all changed. Now, I just hope they can put his foot back together.” 
   
   Officials said that whoever constructed the pyrotechnic was well-versed in how explosives work. 
   
   “Clearly, I would say this is someone that had knowledge of chemistry, but you don’t have to be anything more than good with computers to get enough knowledge of chemistry to be able to create some of this type of material from readily available materials, unfortunately,” Torre said. ||||| An 18-year-old man was recovering Monday after he had to have part of his leg amputated following a blast in Central Park. Police believe the man jumped on fireworks that had been left behind by someone else. Lori Bordonaro reports. (Published Monday, July 4, 2016) 
   
   UPDATE: Investigators Test Explosive That Blew Off Part of Man's Leg in Central Park 
   
   An 18-year-old Virginia man had to have part of his leg amputated after he was severely injured in a small explosion in Central Park that investigators suspect was caused by a homemade "experiment" left behind by an amateur or hobbyist. 
   
   The explosion happened around 11 a.m. inside the park at East 68th Street and Fifth Avenue, according to the FDNY. 
   
   Investigators stressed that there was no evidence that the explosion was a terrorist act. 
   
   "There are no specific or credible threats directed at New York or the July Fourth celebrations," said Inspector John O'Connell, the head of the NYPD's counterterrorism unit. 
   
   Relatives identified the injured man as 18-year-old Connor Golden of Fairfax County, Virginia. Terry and Roberta Golden, the teen's grandparents, told News4 in Washington that doctors had to amputate his injured leg below the knee. An official said he underwent the surgery at Bellevue Hospital. 
   
   Golden is an Eagle Scout, musician and honor student at University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, the grandparents said. He is turning 19 next Sunday. 
   
   "I would guess that he would love to continue at the University of Miami and sports," said Roberta Golden. "I have no idea how he would go about it and ironically his birthday is next Sunday and he wanted a long skateboard. Everybody in Miami has them." 
   
   Two of Golden's friends told police they were visiting the city from Virginia and denied they were playing with fireworks. The NYPD bomb squad was investigating to determine exactly what material caused the injury. 
   
   Police said during a late afternoon news conference that they believe the victim and his two friends had nothing to do with the explosive material. They refrained from referring to it as a device. The victim jumped off a rock and his left foot landed on the homemade material, causing it to explode, they said. 
   
   "It was almost like it was hidden," O'Connell said. "But it wasn’t where someone ordinarily would’ve stepped." 
   
   The NYPD cordoned off a two- to three-block area of the park near the blast site. Bomb-sniffing dogs were sent into the area to search for an other explosives. 
   
   Lt. Mark Torre of the NYPD bomb squad said the material didn't appear to have been "shock-sensitive." He said there was no evidence that it was meant to explode if stepped upon. 
   
   "We’ve seen a lot of experimentation with homemade fireworks," he said. "Their goal is to make a loud noise, maybe make a flash." 
   
   Mayor de Blasio took to Twitter on Sunday night and said the explosion appeared to be an "isolated incident, unrelated to terrorism." 
   
   "Central Park, both statistically and by reputation, is one of the safest patches of land in any big city in America," he wrote. 
   
   De Blasio said there was no threat directed at New York City for the Fourth of July celebrations and encouraged people to come out and enjoy the park. 
   
   Tenzin Ratling, 46, a photographer who sells his work most days on the perimeter of the park, said that he heard the blast and initially thought it was some type of test for a Fourth of July fireworks display. 
   
   "But then many police arrived and I thought that a bad thing happened," he said. ||||| NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A firework that exploded when a 18-year-old unwittingly stepped on it Sunday in Central Park, seriously injuring his left foot, didn’t appear to be designed to intentionally hurt people, police officials said. 
   
   WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall reported the victim, identified at Connor Golden, suffered a severe leg injury. The explosion happened just before 11 a.m. near 60th Street and 5th Avenue. 
   
   WCBS's Sophia Hall heard explosion in Central Park. One victim with injured leg/foot being treated by EMS. — Alex Silverman (@AlexSilverman) July 3, 2016 
   
   WCBS 880 reported that Golden was with a group of three young men from the Washington, D.C. area. 
   
   “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what happened,” one of the men told WCBS 880. 
   
   An eyewitness told CBS2 that Golden was climbing a rock structure and stepped on something that “exploded.” 
   
   Police officials believe a homemade firework likely caused the blast, CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez reported. The commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s bomb squad said Sunday there’s no indication it was made to harm people. 
   
   Mark Torre likened the explosive to an experiment that an enthusiast with a rudimentary understanding of chemistry could build from household materials. 
   
   Investigators don’t believe the injured 18-year-old or his friends took part in constructing the explosive. They’re asking anyone with information to come forward. 
   
   Officials say Golden is undergoing surgery on his left foot at a hospital. He’s in stable condition. 
   
   #CentralPark scene has started to thin out. Preliminary reports: #Fireworks likely a cause of the small explosion @CBSNewYork — Magdalena Doris (@MagdalenaDoris) July 3, 2016 
   
   A bomb-sniffing dog went into the rock area where the explosion took place. 
   
   #BREAKING: Explosion in Central Park injures man on rocks after landing on something that blew up @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/tNhIp3gQuz — Magdalena Doris (@MagdalenaDoris) July 3, 2016 
   
   CBS2 video captured the sound of the explosion while guests were filing into Elie Wiesel’s funeral in the Upper East Side. 
   
   Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: “Dangerous incident in Central Park today. Fireworks are fun – but let’s leave them to the professionals. Stay safe.”
target: – A group of friends enjoying a morning in NYC's Central Park stumbled onto misfortune Sunday when one apparently stepped on an explosive, severely injuring his leg, the New York Post reports. The FDNY says the explosion happened around 11am at 68th Street and Fifth Avenue, per NBC New York, and a senior law enforcement official tells the station a bag of fireworks was found near the scene, though it's not clear it was a firework that caused the explosion. The Post IDs the 18-year-old who was injured as Conner Golden, who was climbing on rocks in the park with some other pals, all said to be visiting from the DC area. Golden was whisked to Bellevue Hospital and is currently undergoing surgery, with sources saying an amputation looks likely. 1010 Wins reports Golden is in critical but stable condition, via CBS New York. According to John Murphy, another visitor to the park who came upon the scene, it looked like Golden's foot was missing below the ankle. "His left leg was severely damaged, all bone and muscle," he says. "He was in shock. I don't think he even realized what had happened." Cops are trying to determine if the explosion, which witnesses tell the Post could be heard from outside where Elie Wiesel's funeral was being held, was caused by a firework or what the Post calls a "more sinister" device, and if the DC buddies were the ones who may have brought fireworks into the park. "I said, 'Come on, guys, were you carrying fireworks?'" Murphy says. "And they said no. And I believed them. … This wasn't an M80 or a cherry bomb. [This was] something much more serious." NBC notes that section of the park was cordoned off, but the park wasn't evacuated or closed due to the incident.