On September 18 , 2016 , a backpack holding five bombs was discovered outside NJ Transit 's Elizabeth train station . One bomb detonated accidentally when a bomb squad robot failed to disarm the contents of the backpack ; no one was hurt . Police were initially unsure if this event was related to bombs in Seaside Park , New Jersey and Manhattan that had exploded the previous day . On September 19 , police arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami , a 28-year-old Afghan-born naturalized U.S. citizen , for questioning in connection with all three incidents ; the FBI considered Rahami , whose last known address was within of the train station , to be armed and dangerous
all three incidents
2016 New York and New Jersey bombings
Elizabeth, New Jersey