Central Park bomber still at large, case unsolved seven years later

The mention of fireworks on Independence Day is always tough to hear for Kevin and Carol Golden, the Virginia parents whose son Connor lost part of his leg in a 2016 Central Park explosion.

In the immediate aftermath of the blast, New York City authorities suggested the incident might have been related to a fireworks accident. But later it was determined the powder that ignited was TATP, a highly volatile explosive that has been used in terrorist bombings across the world.

The Goldens have long felt that initial suggestion – that something as innocent as fireworks might have been involved – lessened the urgency with which police and the public pursued answers in the case.

“This appears to be a cold case,” said Kevin Golden, father of the blast victim. “We’ve been waiting these seven odd years for justice to be served in Connor’s case and we don’t have that.”

There is currently a $40,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the Central Park bombing case. Though it is a substantial amount of money, the Goldens point out that other bombing cases – even ones that failed to cause injury – have seen reward totals reach well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Read more: NBC New York