Whitney: Car Bombing in Allentown Early Sunday AM

From James Whitney: An explosion rocked the 800 block of West Walnut St in downtown Allentown early Sunday morning. Police and Fire investigated the blast that damaged one vehicle but thankfully caused no injuries. One official on the scene suspected that the blast may have been a targeted attack and perhaps an act of intimidation. 

Neighbors described being jolted awake at roughly 6:45 am, but none reported seeing the person or persons responsible for the explosion. By 9:30am police had left the scene, while a member of the Allentown bomb squad and a fire department official were still collecting evidence and working to locate the owner of the damaged vehicle. A similar incident occurred in Bethlehem earlier this month. There, police suspect that commercially-bought fireworks were placed underneath a parked car, in an event that sent shockwaves through the 600 block of 5th Ave in the early morning of September 12th. 

It's unclear at this time if the two incidents are related. 

Blogger's Note: James Whitney has previously reported on City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach's decision to drop an underage runaway at a tent city.