NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — Two teens and a construction worker were injured in an explosion on a residential street in Newark on Saturday afternoon.
Newark officials say utility workers who were working on a water line on Magazine Street and accidentally hit a gas line just after noon, resulting in an explosion that propelled the front facade of a private house — onto the street.
“The whole house shook, it was a really loud noise. My niece like she started crying because she got scared,” said Raquel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez lives a couple of doors down from 84 Magazine Street and witnessed the chaos that immediately followed.
“We saw the workers in the holes like running out of it and then we saw one limping. We got confused and ran outside and that’s when we saw this younger kid. He was bleeding and everything, and we were like ‘something happened’ — it was an explosion,” added Rodriguez.
Officials say multiple people were hurt, including a construction worker and two teens. They are all expected to be okay,
Cesar Aucanshala says his kids live in the house that sustained the damage, and had to go to the hospital for injuries to their head and their face.
The Red Cross is providing emergency financial assistance to help with lodging and food for 22 people — 13 families in total.
Angela says she left her cats to go to work and now they are nowhere to be found.
“I don’t know, because I’m working in the morning,” she said.
The fire department says all nearby homes and buildings were checked and deemed safe.
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