Car Explosion Shreds Quaint Neighborhood Street

A plumber started his car on a quiet New Jersey street and it exploded — and the culprit may have been riding in his trunk the whole time.

Story Snapshot

A car exploded on Congressional Lane in Totowa, New Jersey at around 5:40 a.m. on July 13, 2026, injuring the driver and damaging nearby homes.
First responder radio traffic named acetylene as the likely cause, with scanner audio capturing: “Possibly acetylene. Plumber started the car and it ignited.”
Totowa Mayor John Coiro confirmed the driver was a plumber with an acetylene tank in the trunk, but said the cause was still preliminary.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and a bomb squad ruled out foul play — this was not a bomb.

A Quiet Street Turned Into a Blast Zone

The explosion hit the Hickory Hill Estates neighborhood before sunrise. Debris flew across the street and into nearby townhomes. A 28-year-old man — the driver — was taken to the hospital with injuries. Neighbor Sheldon Blaine described it as a sharp, concussive blast with no fire. That detail is worth remembering. It matters more than you might think.

Totowa Mayor John Coiro spoke quickly and clearly. He said the driver was a plumber. He said there was an acetylene tank in the trunk. He said photos of the wreckage showed the tank. And then he added the phrase that will keep investigators busy: “Preliminarily, we’re not sure if that’s what caused the explosion.” That one sentence is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now.

What Acetylene Can Do Inside a Closed Trunk

Acetylene is not your average gas. It is highly unstable and ignites at concentrations as low as 2.5 percent in air. A leaking tank sealed inside a trunk overnight creates exactly the kind of invisible, pressurized trap that needs only a tiny spark to detonate. When the driver turned the key, the car’s electrical system likely provided that spark. That is the working theory — and it fits the physics.

This kind of accident has happened before. In Holden, Massachusetts, a man was seriously injured after an acetylene tank leaked inside his car. Investigators noted the blast caused no significant fire damage. Sound familiar? In British Columbia, a service van with welding equipment exploded when gas that had built up overnight ignited from a key fob signal. The Totowa blast fits this pattern almost exactly — right down to the lack of flames.

The No-Fire Detail Is Actually a Clue

Blaine’s observation — no fire, just a concussive blast — initially sounds like it contradicts the acetylene theory. But it actually supports it. Acetylene explosions driven by a sudden pressure release, rather than a sustained burn, can produce a powerful concussive wave without a visible fireball. The gas disperses and detonates faster than it burns. That is not a contradiction. That is chemistry.

ALERT: Small town in New Jersey was rocked this morning after a plumber got in his car and it exploded.

Residents in Totowa were awakened at around 5:40 AM to the sound of a car explosion.

Officials believe an acetylene tank, a highly flammable gas used for welding, was slowly… pic.twitter.com/KEOUgjnI7M

— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) July 13, 2026

The ATF and the bomb squad examined the scene and ruled out an explosive device. That is a significant finding. When trained federal agents look at a blast site and say “not a bomb,” they are narrowing the field of causes considerably. What remains is accidental ignition of a flammable gas. The acetylene theory is not just a guess — it is what is left after the other options were eliminated.

What Is Still Unresolved and Why It Matters

Two loose threads deserve attention. First, media outlets disagree on whether the driver was a plumber or a welder. CBS News and News12 say plumber. WABC calls him a welder. Both trades use acetylene. The distinction changes nothing about the physics, but it does raise a fair question about how well reporters confirmed basic facts before publishing. Second, no official forensic report has been released. The investigation is ongoing. Until the ATF publishes its findings, the acetylene explanation remains the leading theory, not the confirmed cause.

The Bigger Safety Warning Nobody Is Talking About

Tradespeople routinely transport pressurized gas cylinders in their vehicles. Most do it safely, most of the time. But acetylene tanks must stay upright, must be secured, and must be stored with the valve fully closed. A small leak in an enclosed trunk can reach explosive concentration in hours. This incident is a loud reminder that a tool you carry every day can become a bomb if a valve is not fully shut. That is not alarmist. That is just what the data shows.