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Firework Complaints Increase By 230X In June As Officials Seek Supplier Crackdown
By
Sydney Pereira
,
Beth Fertig
,
David Cruz
,
Jacob Dobkin
and
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jun 21, 2020
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John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
By
Sydney Pereira
,
Beth Fertig
,
David Cruz
,
Jacob Dobkin
and
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jun 21, 2020
Share
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Firework complaints across New York City rose by 236 times this month compared to the same time period last year, as New Yorkers question where the explosives — some of them seemingly high-grade — are coming from and who's behind the endless evenings of pyrotechnic displays.
From June 1st to June 19th, there have been 6,385 total 311 complaints about fireworks—up from just 27 during the same time period last year. The complaints have been rising throughout June, most notably in the past week. Juneteenth saw the highest number of complaints—a day of celebrations but also protests against police brutality, concluding with fireworks overnight.
Observers have noticed it's not just more complaints this summer, but some incidents feature high-quality displays not typically operated by casual fireworks consumers.
"This is not the simple firecrackers and little small toy-type rockets, but it was very elaborate," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams told Gothamist/WNYC about his tour of the borough to assess the fireworks. "That in itself is raising a high level of concern with me."
He added: "When you see the large displays along Brooklyn and in Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, you’re seeing extremely sophisticated type fireworks displays that can be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong people."
The "elaborate devices" make Adams believe suppliers are bringing in a different type of fireworks shipment to the city.
Adams, who held a press conference with Brooklyn city councilmember Robert Cornegy on Sunday afternoon on the matter, wants Cure Violence organizations and the Vulcan Society, an organization of Black active and retired firefighters, to educate and encourage people not to use the illegal fireworks.
"If it reaches a point that is severely dangerous and these are high stockpile of fireworks, [the police] should confiscate those," Adams said, but doesn't want anyone to face arrests or police to be heavily involved at all. "This is local proactive policing, where you don't want uniformed personnel with a gun and a billy club to come. You want everyday people to talk to the people in their community."
On social media, some speculated that the fireworks were an organized effort by the government or police themselves to destabilize the movement against police violence and defunding the police department, for which there has been a wave of protests nationwide after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Adams doesn't believe the rumor holds weight.
"There is nothing tangible that is attached to that at all," Adams said. "I'm not seeing any diabolical plot being planned out by the police department or some unit in the police department. I don't buy that. I believe that there is a clear pathway of illegal fireworks into the city."
Firefighters were spotted shooting off fireworks last week, while another display appeared to come from a building behind an NYPD precinct.
Canceled Fourth of July fireworks festivities around the country may have sparked mass sales for devices as demand decreases. Some retailers are offering early-bird discounts ahead of Fourth of July and selling online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We need to, number one, shut down that pipeline and number two, really do some on the ground communications during the day to share the dangers of fireworks and make sure that people try to really prevent using such a sophisticated use of fireworks that I’m seeing now," Adams said.
In Brooklyn, some residents weren't too bothered by the fireworks.
"I think fireworks is the last thing that we need to be talking about," Levi Israel said. "That's what I think. There's certain things that are going on that's way bigger than fireworks."
Bed-Stuy resident Milton Edwards knows how dangerous fireworks can be after a friend was injured as a kid.
"We put an ashcan in a pipe in the front of a pipe and one of our friends held it, that thing blew up and a piece of the pipe flew into my friend's neck and when I saw inside his neck that was it for me, no more for me," Edwards said.
From January 1st to June 14th, the NYPD confiscated fireworks 26 times, the department previously said. Police have arrested eight, issued 22 summonses, and responded to two fireworks injuries in that time. The NYPD did not immediately provide updated numbers on Sunday.
Tagged
eric adams
fireworks
brooklyn
Sydney Pereira
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Beth Fertig
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David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Jacob Dobkin
Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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