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VIDEO: E-Cigarette Explodes in Man's Pocket at Grand Central, MTA Says

By Ben Fractenberg | November 25, 2016 11:37am | Updated on November 28, 2016 8:43am

MIDTOWN — A worker at a Grand Central Terminal wine store was burned after an e-cigarette exploded in his pants pocket, according to officials and reports.

Otis Gooding was inside Central Cellars Wednesday morning when the device suddenly exploded like a firecracker in his pants, shooting sparks while he threw the e-cigarette onto the floor, burning his hand, video of the incident captured by WCBS shows.

Gooding suffered burns to his hand and was transported by a private ambulance to a local hospital, an MTA spokesman said.

Coworker John Lee told reporters he thought Gooding had “fireworks in his pocket” after it exploded.

“Then we realized it was an e-vapor cigarette — the high-powered, voltage battery,” Lee added.

The explosion did not affect the station's public areas or nearby trains, officials said. 

Calls to Central Cellars on Friday did not immediately go through.