L Train Rider Makes Bomb Threat Hours Before Chelsea Attack

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Police are looking for a man who shouted he had a bomb, and began counting down, while riding the L train on Saturday — just a few hours before the attack in Chelsea.

According to the NYPD, the man boarded an L train at the Bedford Avenue stop in Brooklyn, riding into Manhattan. Onboard the train, police said he yelled he had a bomb and started counting down from five to one and then yelled out "Boom!"

The incident took place at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, about three hours before a pressure cooker bomb exploded on 23rd Street in Chelsea, injuring 29 people. The NYPD believes it is just a coincidence, however. The man could be charged with falsely reporting a bomb threat, according to the NYPD.

A rider on the train snapped a photo of the suspect, who police described as Hispanic, about 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-10 and last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue pants.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Photo Credit: NYPD