A quiet North Jersey neighborhood woke to a massive blast — but police say it wasn’t intentional

💥A Totowa man escaped after his car exploded as he turned the key on Monday morning

💥Police say a leaking acetylene cylinder in the trunk likely caused the explosion

💥The blast damaged nearby homes but investigators do not consider it suspicious

TOTOWA — A car exploded Monday morning when its owner turned the key but it was likely an accident.

The 28-year-old man got into his black sedan parked in front of his home on Congressional Lane in the Hickory Hill development to head to work around 5:30 a.m., according to acting Totowa Police Chief Brian Mulroony. The man got out of the car on his own and was taken to a hospital.

Video shows the blast breaking a fence in front of the home, sending debris into the siding and knocking cabinets off walls. Pieces of the car also landed on the lawns of neighbors. Several surrounding homes were damaged by the blast. Residents several blocks away told CBS New York they felt the explosion.

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Leaking acetylene cylinder likely car explosion

Mulroony said a preliminary investigation that involved the ATF determined a leaking acetylene cylinder in the trunk of a vehicle caused the explosion. They do not consider this a suspicious incident. Acetylene cylinders are special tanks that are used to store and transport unstable, highly combustible acetylene gas.

Mayor John Coiro told NBC New York the man is a plumber in New York City. He was not injured but experienced some bleeding in his ear.

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