pipe bomb in an orange bag exploded beside a minivan parked in one of Brooklyn's busiest Jewish neighborhoods yesterday morning, critically injuring a Hasidic man and briefly sending shudders of fear through a community anticipating Passover and concerned over mounting violence in the Middle East.
Investigators said the bomb, with an ignition system linked to an electronic motion sensor, went off as the victim, Israel Halberstam, 46, approached the vehicle outside his home in Borough Park, saw the bag under the driver's door and moved it, out of curiosity or to get it out of the way. The blast severed his right foot and inflicted severe burns and cuts to his legs, arms and hands.
In scenes that might have unfolded on a street in Jerusalem, the explosion thundered along the residential block of 42nd Street, between 16th and 17th Avenues, shortly after 11 a.m., bringing out crowds of horrified onlookers and raising a cacophony of wailing sirens as firefighters, police investigators, ambulances and other emergency services swarmed in.
Amid rumors that the terrors of the Middle East had leaped to Borough Park, houses overlooking the blast scene were evacuated. Streets were cordoned off for blocks around. And hundreds of patrons at a Passover foods bazaar in a nearby public school playground were moved back by law enforcement officials uncertain of the potential dangers or who might be behind them.
But hours after the victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said there was no evidence of terrorism, but some indications ? including a recent fire in another car of the victim's ? that the bombing was a result of a personal or business dispute.
Political and community leaders quickly joined the crowds and circulated the message. By midafternoon the deepest frowns had faded, the bazaar had reopened and, while police tape remained up, people were returning to their homes and the streets were bustling again with boys on bikes and men and women preparing for the holidays and buzzing over the day's startling events. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg visited the neighborhood last night to ease residents' concerns further.
Earlier in the day, residents spoke of their fears. "In the first few minutes, you had the sense of terror," Charlie Katz, 18, said. "You don't know what's going on. Israel's involved in violence. America is on high alert. You don't know the real story. It could have been anything."
Noach Dear, a former city councilman for the area who said he knew the victim, was one of the community leaders trying to calm fears.
"The important thing to stress here is that this is not a terrorist attack and that it has nothing to do with the violence of the Middle East," he said.
Commissioner Kelly said the bombing and the motives behind it remained under investigation, but added: "There is no indication at this time that this was any kind of terrorist attack. We're investigating the possibility that it may have been some personal dispute."
Other investigators said that Mr. Halberstam is a lifelong resident of Borough Park and the owner of Audio House, an electronics store at 6508 Sixth Avenue in Bay Ridge. They said he had been cited in a series of civil court judgments since 1989 for failing to pay debts totaling nearly $45,000.
Business and court records, the police and acquaintances and neighbors provided various versions of the victim's name. In the course of the day, the police listed it as Yisroel Halberstam or Israel Halverstan, while business and court records gave it as Israel Halberstam. Local residents rendered it as Israel or Sruli Halberstam.
According to the Fire Department, a minivan rented by Mr. Halberstam was damaged in a fire on Feb. 16, and investigators called it a case of arson. The vehicle had been parked on the block where yesterday's explosion took place. After the February fire, the police said, Mr. Halberstam rented the green Dodge Caravan that was damaged yesterday.
Investigators, who pieced their account together from evidence at the scene and information provided by the victim on his way to the hospital, said that Mr. Halberstam, who is married and has five children, emerged from his home at 1604 42nd Street at 11:10 a.m., intending to go to work, and walked down to the minivan parked at the curb.
An orange bag containing the pipe bomb had been left on the street beside the driver's side door, and Mr. Halberstam apparently moved it with his foot as he prepared to unlock the car door. A motion-sensing device with a nine-volt battery ignited the bomb, investigators said.
Mr. Halberstam's right foot was blown off; he suffered burns on his body, face and lungs, and fragments of the bomb severely cut his hands, arms and legs. The bomb's upward force also staved in the driver's side door and shattered its window. It was unclear how long the bomb had been there, but Commissioner Kelly noted that it had been a potential danger to anyone who chanced by.
As an ambulance took the victim away, the police evacuated homes on the block and cordoned off traffic on 42nd Street from 15th to 17th Avenues, and on 16th Avenue from 40th to 44th Streets. As a precaution, they also evacuated the playground of Intermediate School 223 a block away on 42nd Street, where crowds were buying Passover food at a bazaar.
The police brought in bomb-sniffing dogs and a robot to search for other explosive devices, but none were found. Investigators for the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also were on the scene.
At Bellevue Hospital, Mr. Halberstam's right leg was amputated below the knee and he was treated for the burns and other injuries. He was also placed under protective guard, as was his family, who gathered at the hospital from Brooklyn and were flying in from Israel. The victim's business and home were also placed under protective surveillance.
By late afternoon, the streets of Borough Park appeared to be returning to normal. People were preparing for the first dinner of Passover Wednesday night, but there was still tension in the air and in the voices of residents like Stanley Hirsch, 54, a truck driver.
"Unfortunately we're conditioned to think right away that it's a terrorist attack," he said.
But word that someone in particular ? and not just anyone ? had been the target provided a kind of relief, he said.
"I think people will breathe a lot easier because it's an individual thing, not the community at large being threatened by another community."
It's not personal, it's business.