Yes, one of the FBI/Bomb experts said there was very likely a chance that because the bomb stuff was so badly put together, as the guy was driving down our streets, he fell into one of our HUMONGOUS potholes and it
prematurely set the bomb activation part going.

Hence, it started smoking, and the SUV was just ditched at the side of the street, engine running, with the
hazard lights on. Oops!
On the other hand, he did park on one of the busiest streets. (**See below.) He parked directly below
The Lion King theatre. (Minskoff Theatre.) There are 5 other theatres on that block. If the clocks for the bomb was set to go off at 7:30, instead of the vendor finding the car at 6:30, there would have been hundreds of people in front of the 5 theatres on 45th St., as well as all the people sitting in the pedestrian park at Times Square. The bomb experts say,
if the type of bomb the bomb guy
wanted to put together had been done right, the explosion would have reverberated about 800 ft out in all directions.
(** I was originally confused in the OP about which side block of the 45th St the suspect parked on. Broadway & 7th Ave actually cross each other right there at 45th St. Half the reporters said the car was off of Broadway, the others said 7th Ave. Even police Commissioner Kelly corrected himself during the press briefing.)