UPDATED Aug. 1, 6:35 p.m.
The Springfield Gardens man injured after opening up a bomb left in a package on his doorstep last week has died, police announced on Tuesday, as the search for the suspects who left the explosive continues.
Law enforcement sources said the blast occurred at 4:15 p.m. on July 28 at the home of 73-year-old George Wray in the vicinity of 222nd Street and 145th Road.
According to police, Wray discovered the explosive device — contained within a cylinder that was about the size of a Quaker Oats can — near the entrance to his residence. NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said the device went off when the victim went to open it, causing the man to suffer second- and third-degree burns over 80% of his body.
“There is substantial evidence left from this device, which appears to be a victim-actuated device; the explosion was caused by opening the package,” Boyce said. “We consider this a low-explosive; there was no shrapnel associated with this device.”
Officers from the 105th Precinct and EMS units responded to the incident. Paramedics rushed Wray to Nassau University Medical Center, where he died on Aug. 1.
According to published reports, police learned that the package contained a single name that was not disclosed to the press. It was not, however, linked to anyone living inside the man’s residence.
No arrests have been made, and the NYPD Arson and Explosion Squad is conducting the investigation, police said.
