2016 New York and New Jersey bombings

On September 17–19, 2016, a series of three constructed bombs exploded and several unexploded devices were discovered in the New York metropolitan area alongside a shooting in Linden, New Jersey following a subsequent manhunt. The bombings and additional shootout left 33 people wounded, but no fatalities were reported. Federal investigators determined these explosive devices were deliberately set and identified them as part of a terrorist act.

On the morning of September 17, a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey which was intended to detonate during a 5K charity race at the height of crowded venues. Later that day, a homemade pressure cooker bomb went off in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City causing extensive injuries and significant property damage to adjacent buildings. A second pressure cooker bomb was discovered four blocks away. Late on September 18, multiple bombs were discovered at the train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. One of these bombs detonated early the next day destroying a police robot in the attempts for authorities to disarm it, causing additional damage.

On September 19, 2016, the sole suspect—Ahmad Khan Rahimi, of Elizabeth—was identified and captured, following a shootout with police in neighboring Linden, New Jersey, which left two officers injured from gunfire. Rahimi was not part of a terrorist group, but his actions were believed to have been influenced by the extremist Islamic ideology espoused by al-Qaeda and Islamic State. In 2017, Rahimi was convicted in U.S. federal court of eight federal crimes arising from the attack. On February 13, 2018, Rahimi was sentenced to a mandatory term of life without parole.