Two men, one of them homeless and in need of a backpack, discovered a cache of pipe bombs at the Elizabeth train station when they saw a bag sitting on top of a garbage can.
"Wow, look at this, just what you said you needed," says Ivan White, who is giving his friend, Lee Parker, a place to stay.
They grabbed the bag, opened it up, and found a stash of bombs inside. They left to alert police, and a bomb disposal robot later accidentally set off one of the explosives.
Officials have not said whether the suspect arrested in connection with bombings in Seaside Park and Manhattan, Ahmad Rahami, was responsible for the Elizabeth devices.
Still, a local group wants to garner public support for the two men and help Parker get back on his feet.
"When we all see something, we need to act upon it," says Don Goncalves, who is part of the community group At Heart's Length. "So we...want to recognize that effort."
At Heart's Length also started a GoFundMe page to help out both men.