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.
“The rewards in those other bombing cases are ten times, more than ten times the reward offered in this case. That’s just another indication of the lack of urgency and seriousness that this case has been given," Golden said.
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Despite their disappointment, the Goldens say they have faith that one of these years, someone will recall a detail or reveal a piece of information that will break the case.
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The best known clue in the case thus far is a reconstructed bakery bag in which the powder was concealed.
“This serious bombing incident in Central Park occurred, claimed my son’s leg and he will be disabled for the rest of his life because of it and that the individual or individuals that were responsible for planting that bomb there are running around Scott free as far as we know,“ Golden said. “And so at this point, I don’t think it is going to be a matter of the law enforcement authorities somehow coming up with investigative, their own devices. They’re going to need to depend on people coming forward.”
Though Connor Golden’s life changed forever after that Central Park blast, the I-Team caught up with him 2 years ago to chronicle his recovery. He is now pursuing a career in music technology and his mastery of that prosthetic is pretty incredible.
When he was injured in Central Park he was “slack-lining," which is a kind of tightrope walking. He’s now able to do that again, only now on his prosthetic. He says music was truly his medicine as he came to terms with his injury.
Anyone with information on the 2016 Central Park explosion, is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
