News: Fourth of July in New York
New York, NY (77WABC)-Last summer saw heightened complaints in NYC’s five boroughs of illegal fireworks at all hours causing disturbances including noise and injuries.
By the second week of June last summer, NYC’s 311 hotlines recorded 849 complaints about illegal fireworks, representing an increase of 4,000% from the previous year. Among the incidents, a 3-year-old toddler was injured when an illegal firework sailed thru his open bedroom window on Anderson Avenue in the Highbridge section of the Bronx last June.
This summer NYC Mayor DeBlasio says things will be different. The Mayor’s announced a Fireworks Task Force designed to crackdown on the trafficking and use of illegal fireworks. “Illegal fireworks are noisy, they disrupt the peace of neighborhoods, but they can also be dangerous,” said the Mayor. De Blasio said a major goal is to stop the flow of illegal fireworks before they come into NYC.
The task force involves federal state and local partners from NY, NJ, and CT.
NYC Sheriff Joseph Fucito explained the objectives and goals of the multi-agency task force during the Mayor’s briefing Wednesday morning:
The Sheriff said, “so, what the task force is looking to do is develop information on who the major suppliers are, we’re going to look to interdict these illegal fireworks so if we can get them before they get into NYC it’s a good thing for the people.”
“We want to target the locations where they’re stored before sale, where they created a hazard of fire and explosion, so it’s not all about arresting people it’s about stopping something really horrific from happening,” said Fucito.
In New York City, all consumer fireworks, including sparklers, are illegal to use, buy, sell, or transport. The police may seize vehicles used to transport fireworks as they come into NYC.
Fucito said in addition to sheriff’s officers, the task force involves many agencies including the ATF (Alcohol Tobacco Firemans and Explosives), NY, NJ, and CT State Police, the NYPD, FDNY Fire Marshalls, The Port Authority, and the Yonkers Police Department.
