A quick look at the headlines over the last several weeks will show that towns throughout the United States are complaining about the recent uptick in firework sales. It’s not so much the number that bothers them, but how close all the recently purchased fireworks are being set off near their homes.
One of the towns that is being particularly affected by the uptick in firework sales is New York City. As The New York Times reports, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city was launching a crackdown on the use and distribution of illegal fireworks. As de Blasio revealed, in 2020, NYC has received more than 12,500 calls complaining about fireworks, that’s 12-times as many calls as they received in 2019.
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And in one incident that took place in the Bronx, a toddler was injured by an illegal firework when a piece from the explosion came through the window he was near. According to CBS New York, the toddler and his sister were watching people on the street below them when a piece of it came into the window they were watching from as the sister filmed the entire ordeal.
“The fireworks were, like, spreading around, one of them came in,” his sister told CBS. “It, like, almost destroyed everything in our room. There was also fire at my favorite teddy bear.”
Sadly, as the toddler’s father explained to CBS New York, his son suffered bad injuries as a result of the firework. “[I] heard a baby crying, fireworks came through the window. He got burned all over his arm, and they had to give him at least five stitches. And that was it. I took him to the hospital, myself.”
The father even had the opportunity to confront the people responsible for his son’s injuries before rushing the 3-year-old to the hospital. “Nice show,” the father shouted at the people, according to Cafe Mom. “Look what happened to my kid. Now I have to go to the hospital.”
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New York Police Chief Rodney Harrison shared the video the sister captured on Twitter. Authorities are still looking for the people responsible for setting off the fireworks. He is asking anyone with information regarding this particular incident to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.