Food truck explodes on West Side Highway, two men inside suffer serious burns

A popular Manhattan hamburger vending truck exploded on the West Side Highway Monday, seriously injuring two men inside.

The men were driving the Frites 'N' Meats truck south on West St. after serving lunch in midtown when a propane tank exploded about 3:15 p.m., officials and witnesses said.

"Black smoke started pouring out of the roof, then yellow flames," said Elias Hernandez, 43, of the Bronx, who works nearby as a superintendent. "Boom - it blew the roof off. Everyone was hysterical. We thought it was a bomb."

The truck pulled onto the median near N. Moore St., and the two men inside jumped out, witnesses said.

"They were on fire," Hernandez said. "They got out and sat on the sidewalk. They were in shock."

Mohammed Beydoun, 21, an owner of the truck, and an employee were taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell with serious but nonlife-threatening burns, officials and a family member said.

The gourmet food truck had been scheduled to begin serving burgers at 4 p.m. in Tribeca. (Source)