'I thought they were decorated candles' - Homeless man recounts life-saving bomb find

ELIZABETH — Lee Parker thought he was just lucky Sunday when he stumbled upon a nice backpack left on top of a garbage can, steps from the Elizabeth train station.

"It was a nice one," he said. "Nice enough for me to have in my possession."

But once Parker, a 50-year-old lifetime resident of Elizabeth who spends his days not knowing where he'll sleep at night, pulled one of the items out of the 30-to 40-pound backpack, he said he knew something wasn't right.

"When I went to discard the items in the backpack, it seemed odd," Parker said. "I thought they were decorated candles, but no decorated candles have wires."

Read more: http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2016/09/in_elizabeth_they_saw_something_said_something_--.html