Pipe bomb explodes at run

SEASIDE PARK, N.J. — A pipe bomb exploded in a New Jersey shore town Saturday shortly before thousands of runners were to participate in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors, authorities said.

No injuries were reported in the blast in Seaside Park around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor’s office. He said no surrounding structures were damaged.

The FBI has taken over as the lead agency in the investigation. But officials would not say whether they thought the incident was terror-related or if they suspected participants in the third annual Semper Five run were targeted.

The race had been scheduled to start shortly before the blast occurred, but it was delayed because of the large numbers of people registering for the race and reports of an unattended backpack being found.

Della Fave noted that if the race had started on time, a “good number of people” would have been running past the area where the blast occurred.

Several homes near the scene were evacuated as a precaution, but those residents were allowed to return home Saturday night. Authorities said several beaches in the area would remain closed.

The pipe bomb was in a plastic garbage can when it exploded, Della Fave said, but the immediate area where the blast occurred was mostly empty at the time.