The NYPD bomb-squad detective stood on West 27th Street in Chelsea on that warm Saturday night. A pressure cooker had been found on the sidewalk, with a cellphone beside it, the two connected by wires. A woman who had called 911 initially thought it was a child’s discarded science experiment. The detective knew it was likely an explosive device — another one had just exploded four blocks away.
Over his shoulder, more bad news. “There was a hotel bar, restaurant, across the street,” the detective, Jason Hallick, testified on Thursday. “I could see people in the windows.”