East Harlem domestic dispute leads police to explosive device, NYPD says

A domestic dispute led the NYPD’s bomb squad to locate and remove an “explosive device” inside a car in East Harlem on Wednesday, authorities said.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said the device was discovered around noon, when two police officers were approached by two male relatives in a vehicle. The driver claimed the passenger had assaulted him with a machete, which was still inside the car, according to police.

Officers apprehended the passenger and secured the machete, police said, before the driver alerted officers there was also “an explosive device” in the car.

Police took the device — which they declined to call a "bomb" due to an ongoing investigation — into custody, and are attempting to determine how exactly the men got hold of it. Mark Torre, who heads the NYPD’s bomb squad, called it a “potentially viable improvised explosive device” and “a pipe bomb-type device.”

“It’s like a bomb, but it isn’t really a bomb,” Torre said. “We’re in the process of continuing that examination as we speak. And in a manner of maybe a few hours, we’ll have a definitive answer: ‘Could this thing have functioned as designed?’”

The unknown device was found at 120 East 119th St. around 12:25 p.m., according to police. There were no reported injuries.

The authorities did not identify the two men, but said they have between 10 and 20 “minimal” arrests with none within the last five to 10 years.

The passenger was described as having “emotional issues” and seemed to be “rambling about incoherent ideas,” according to Torre.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to further questions from Gothamist.

This is a developing story and may be updated.