See and some say New York City is boring!
Blast Damages Times Square Recruiting Station
An explosion outside a military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday morning showed similarities to two previous explosions in the city, perhaps none more compelling than the an individual on a bike seen in the area by a witness and on surveillance footage just before the blast.
Police blocked off the area to investigate the explosion, which occurred at about 3:45 a.m., shattering the station's glass entryway and front window. No one was injured, but guests at a nearby hotel were rattled by the boom.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg took exception to the incident, not just by the act of violence alone, but because of its location.
"The fact that this appears deliberatey directed at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world fighting to defend our freedoms and the things that we hold so dear," Bloomberg said during a morning news conference outside the site.
One person told police he saw a person in a dark clothing with a hood, wearing a backpack and riding a bicycle "in a suspicious manner" near the building moments before the blast, according to Commissioner Ray Kelly.
The witness did not see the individual's face, and Bloomberg said there was no confirmation that the person on the bike was behind the attack.
"Whoever the coward was that committed this terrible act on our city will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said Bloomberg. "We will not tolerate such attacks nor will we let them destroy our freedom to live peacefully and safely in the greatest city in the world."
Surveillance footage from a nearby private security camera showed a person riding on a bike by the station and hopping off around 3:40 a.m. The blast occurred just three minutes later and was followed by a brief flash and a cloud of white smoke.
Police say they later found a 10-speed bike in the trash on West 38th
Street.
The incident rang very similar to two other minor explosions in Manhattan in previous years.
In late October, two small explosive devices were thrown at the Mexican Consulate in Murray Hill shattering windows and sending debris flying about. Police believed it may have been related to another incident in May 2005 when two devices exploded outside the British Consulate.
In both of those cases, the explosions occurred around 3:30 a.m. and an individual on a bicycle was seen riding near the scenes. The explosive devices in both events were said to be replica hand grenades. No one was injured in either explosion, and no arrests were ever made.
Kelly said the device used in Thursday morning's explosion was different from those attacks, however.
"This was not a particularly sophisticated device. This was a low order explosive in an ammunition box," he said. Though no one was injured, Kelly said a device of its type could cause "injury and even death."
Forensic evidence from the scene was collected and taken to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, and video surveillance cameras from around the scene were being reviewed by investigators.
Kelly said the ammunition box could be purchased at military supply stores and investigators would look into locations where the specific type of box could be obtained.
The military's 1,600 recruiting stations nationwide were alerted to the New York incident and advised to use extra caution, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army recruiting command. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said no official higher state of alert had been issued.
"We do get occasional vandals at our recruiting stations," Whitman said, adding that he didn't have figures on how many. "It's unfortunate but it happens from time to time."
The center is normally staffed by two noncommissioned officers but was empty at the time of the explosion, said Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, the commander of army recruiting operations in Manhattan.
"If it is something that is directed toward American troops, then it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," he said.
Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the recruiting station, which has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.
Police cars and yellow tape initially blocked drivers from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads, though some traffic was allowed through around the start of rush hour.
Guests at the Marriott Marquis on 46th Street said they heard a "big bang" and could feel the building shake. A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.
Terry Leighton, 49, from London, England, said he was on the 21st floor of the hotel when he heard the blast and looked out a window.
"I thought it could have been thunder," he said. "I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke. So I knew it was an explosion."
Darla Teck, 25, was on the 44th floor of the hotel. "There was a big bang. I felt it," she said.
At one point in the investigation subway trains passed through the Times Square subway station without stopping, but normal service resumed with delays later in the morning. Police cars and tape blocked the streets.
The recruiting center has drawn sporadic protests for many years, including in October 2005, when a group who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade rallied there against the Iraq war. Eighteen activists, most of them grandmothers in their 80s and 90s, were later acquitted of disorderly conduct.
The center was renovated in 1999 to better fit into the flashy ambiance of Times Square, using neon tubing to give the glass and steel office a patriotic American flag motif. For a half century, the station was the armed forces' busiest recruiting center. It has set national records for enlistment, averaging about 10,000 volunteers a year.
Anyone with information regarding the explosion is asked to call the NYPD tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS.
with him.
Isnt it your birthday?? Or did we miss it? WHen is your birthday, woman???
HI TIA!!!!!!
A quick update on Roman....I have not noticed a darn thing different with him 
I'm hoping it's just that he's a baby and we have no clue what signs to look for! hahah! But we have not seen any drainage that they told us was good, he doesn't seem to be any more alert than normal, and he can still fall asleep and not wake up in loud places!
I can't believe it!!
If there is anything I can do from this far away, please let me know!!
