In New York, where an explosion has rocked the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Twenty-nine civilians have been injured. Reports say one person is seriously hurt.

It happened at around 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. New York's Mayor, Bill de Blasio, said the blast appeared to be an "intentional act" but that there was no evidence of links to terrorism.

Hours before, a pipe bomb went off in New Jersey, forcing the cancellation of a Marine Corps charity run. Earlier the New York Police Department held a press conference.

"At approximately 8:30 this evening, officers from the 10th precinct were on patrol driving westbound on West 23rd St when they witnessed a large explosion in front of 131 West 23rd Street. The officers immediately called for additional officers and ambulances," said James O'neill, chief of New York Police Department.

"There is no evidence at this point of a terror connection to this incident. This is preliminary information, this is something we will be investigating very carefully, but there is no evidence at this point of a terror connection," said Bill De Blasio, NYC Mayor.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (front, C) gives a news conference as New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill (front, 1st R) stands aside near the blast site in New York, U.S., Sept. 17, 2016. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said Saturday that there is "no evidence at this point of a terror connection" to an explosion in New York Saturday evening. (Xinhua/Wu Rong)

"There were 29 injuries here, one considered serious. 24 of these people have been transported to area hospitals with various degerees of scrapes, abrasions, from glass, from metal. Thankfully none of these are life-threatening injuries, and the 24 patients that have been removed are not in a serious condition, other than the one patient with a puncture wound," said Dan Nigro, Fire Commissioner.