Nutley Explosion 'So Damn Loud' Right Outside Children's Bedroom

The Saturday night explosion near a Nutley building, just outside the bedroom of two children under the age of 10, shook the entire neighborhood, one witness said.

“It was so damn loud it vibrated the whole place,” Steve Bernardo said.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office said Sunday a device exploded Saturday night at about 8:45 p.m. in the area of Prospect and Centre Streets.

Bernardo lives in a Centre Street house facing the explosion. He said he was outside in his yard when he heard what he described as a big bang that shook his home.

He said the neighborhood streets were empty when the explosion went off. He said all he could see when he went to see what happened was smoke. No damage was evident after the blast, Bernardo said.

"When I ran out to the yard, I didn't see anyone around," Bernardo said.

Three second-story windows in the brick building near the explosion were covered with a plastic sheeting on Monday morning, but the building and the surrounding area did not otherwise appear damaged. 

The owner of the service station across the intersection from the building said that while his business was closed at 9 p.m. Saturday night when the blast occurred, he came back to help authorities with the investigation. 

He said investigators reviewed the footage from security video cameras at his garage and indicated that they had identified a car they believe left the explosive device.

Nutley police did not respond to requests for comment. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office released a brief statement on Sunday, but have not yet provided any further details.

The building owner's owner, Phil Lore, said the blast blew in windows on two sides of the building, including two of the three residential apartment units on the second floor. The main damage was to the windows and window frames but there was minor damage to the floor as well as a 10-inch crater in the curb behind the building. 

The family living in the apartment closest to the blast included two children under the age of 10 whose bedroom walls were the ones damaged by the explosion. The family spent the night at a hotel, Lore said. 

Lore was puzzled by the blast and added that he was extremely thankful no one was hurt.

"I have no idea whatsoever," Lore said when asked why he thought the explosion occurred. "It’s just bizarre. And there were little children sleeping right above the windows."