Porta-potty blown to pieces in NY park: ‘Like a bomb’

A portable toilet was destroyed by an explosion Monday night in a Yonkers park, prompting a large response from law enforcement agencies, according to authorities and local reports.

The blast occurred around 8:20 p.m. at Bregano Park, where a blue portable restroom was blown apart by the force of the explosion. The noise was loud enough to be heard throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

Following the incident, Yonkers police secured the park while investigators arrived on scene. Personnel from the Westchester County Bomb Squad, along with federal agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, examined the damaged site. Officials wearing protective gear gathered evidence from the remains of the destroyed portable toilet.

Police said no one was found in the park at the time of the explosion. Early indications suggest the blast may have been caused by fireworks.

Residents in the area reported that similar booming sounds have been heard late at night in recent weeks, although many said the explosion on Monday was noticeably stronger than the others.

Maria Sigismondo, who lives nearby, described the sound as extremely powerful. She said she was in her living room when the blast occurred and immediately felt the floor shake beneath her. According to her, neighbors quickly began discussing the noise after it happened.

Sigismondo also said the presence of federal agents investigating the scene raised concerns among residents, though she hopes authorities determine what caused the incident.

Another local resident, Kenny Reyes, said people in the neighborhood initially believed the noises they had been hearing were fireworks. However, he said the sounds seemed to grow louder over time, with Monday night’s explosion standing out as the most intense.

The incident in Yonkers follows a separate situation in nearby White Plains, where residents had also reported unexplained loud booms over several weeks. In that case, authorities arrested a 65-year-old man, Raymond Elders, on federal charges after investigators allegedly discovered at least 25 suspected explosive devices inside his apartment.

The Yonkers Police Department had not issued a public statement about the park explosion as of Tuesday night.