Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Map Shows Where NYC Fireworks Complaints Are Exploding This Summer
By
Sydney Pereira
,
Clarisa Diaz
,
Jen Chung
,
Jacob Dobkin
and
Beth Fertig
Published Jun 23, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
By
Sydney Pereira
,
Clarisa Diaz
,
Jen Chung
,
Jacob Dobkin
and
Beth Fertig
Published Jun 23, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Across the city, 311 and 911 calls about fireworks have exploded compared to calls about the illegal pyrotechnics this time last year.
From January 1st to June 21st, there have been 11,535 calls to 311 about fireworks, NYPD spokesperson Mary Frances O'Donnell said. Last year over the same time period, there were 54. About 40 percent of all those calls were in Brooklyn between June 1st and 21st.
New Yorkers have dialed 911 13,315 times this year for fireworks, compared to 1,007 calls during the same time period in 2019. 12,578 of those calls were this month.
A map since June 1st shows the rise of fireworks complaints in recent weeks:
To put it in perspective, fireworks complaints are 426 times higher than the same period in 2019.
Late Monday, a cohort of protesting drivers showed up at Mayor Bill de Blasio's home Gracie Mansion honking their horns and demanding a crackdown on the illegal pyrotechnics.
"We need to a send a message that we need to end these chaotic fireworks that's been happening across the city," Councilmember Chaim Deutsch said in a video on Twitter. "So if we can't sleep, Mr. Mayor, you won't sleep."
A de Blasio spokesperson, Freddi Goldstein, said on Twitter the city will be announcing a "multi-agency crackdown on illegal fireworks suppliers" Tuesday morning—which the mayor just described as a task force to target supplies, distributors and those possessing "large quantities of illegal fireworks."
The task force, which will has 10 officers from the NYPD's Intelligence Bureau, 12 FDNY Fire Marshals, and 20 members from the Sheriff's Bureau, will conduct investigations and sting operations in and around NYC to "disrupt supply chains."
Another 150 deputies and 100 criminal investigators will be out Tuesday night for the enforcement efforts.
Sheriff Joseph Fucito said enforcement will be done similarly to other types of contraband coming from out of state—such as tobacco or firearms.
"We wanna look out of state at the people that are making profit off of selling fireworks, causing us grief," Fucito said. "Shutting down the network is one of the best ways that we can stop the flow of contraband into the city."
Teams will go to other jurisdictions to gather evidence and stop the flow of the pyrotechnics into NYC, with possible legal actions if necessary, Fucito said.
"We wanna go after the big fish," de Blasio added. "Within the city, again, we're going to start from the biggest operations, not focused on the kid on the corner."
The Fire Department will also embark on a public safety campaign, which will include public service announcements and reminders on social media, focused on the dangers of illegal fireworks.
De Blasio wants community organizations to be involved to the extent they can—like the Cure Violence movement—though he acknowledged the city is asking a lot of Cure Violence amid a rise in shootings in NYC.
"I definitely wanna see the Vulcan Society involved. I definitely wanna see community-based organizations involved. And I definitely wanna see the Cure Violence movement involved," de Blasio said. "We're going to be doing all of the above. But I think the crucial piece here is engaging families to understand they need to take as much responsibility as humanly possible with their kids, and I say that as a parent. Engaging community-based organizations deeply, absolutely. Public information and then the enforcement that goes at the root cause."
The NYPD conducted a controlled detonation of confiscated illegal fireworks at Rodman's Neck in The Bronx on Monday, but that apparently started a brush fire that had to be put out by the FDNY and Nassau County marine units.
Tagged
fireworks
gracie mansion
summer
new york city
mayor bill de blasio
crackdown
protest
Sydney Pereira
Read more
Clarisa Diaz
Read more
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
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.
Read more
Beth Fertig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
A people’s guide to the ‘Commie Corridor’ of Brooklyn and Queens
The stronghold of young, leftist and college-educated voters fueled Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rise.
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 30, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over New Jersey voter rolls
The ruling rejects the Justice Department’s effort to force New Jersey to provide voter registration records.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over New Jersey voter rolls
The ruling rejects the Justice Department’s effort to force New Jersey to provide voter registration records.
By
Giulia Heyward
Confusion reigns over eligibility for Mayor Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax
By
Walter Wuthmann
and
Brigid Bergin
MTA settles suit to make subway elevators more reliable
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
What does it take to get NYC buildings to test for disease-causing Legionella?
By
Caroline Lewis
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .