A New Jersey neighborhood says it was left shaken and littered with debris after a resident set off a large and dangerous fireworks display, the latest chapter in what neighbors describe as a yearly ordeal. According to Eyewitness News, the show in North Brunswick left the street covered in debris and shrapnel and made the block impassable, and the homeowner is now facing charges over it.
The scale of the display is what alarmed those living nearby. Police said the resident of 23 Beverly Avenue had been setting off aerial-style devices using mortar tubes ranging from three to eight inches in diameter, the kind of heavy, near-professional equipment that is a world away from the small consumer fireworks sold in stores.
The setting made the display all the more worrying. The area is densely populated, filled with numerous single-family and two-family homes, and neighbors said the fireworks were being launched right in the middle of that tight-knit residential block, with debris left scattered across lawns near the site of the display afterward.
Frightened residents said they had tried to put a stop to it. According to the report, people in the neighborhood called police about the dangerous display, and while it appeared to stop for a while, the fireworks then started up again. Many residents did not want to show their faces on camera, saying they feared sparking a feud with the neighbor.
For some families, the night was harrowing. One resident said her family was terrified and could not sleep the entire night, while another said displays like this simply should not be taking place so close to homes and property. Others said they had taken to keeping a garden hose nearby, just in case a stray firework started a fire.
Neighbors said this was not a one-off event. According to the report, it was the fourth year in a row that such a display had taken place at the home, a pattern that has worn down residents' patience and fueled their calls for the authorities to step in and finally put an end to it.
This time, the homeowner is facing consequences. Officials said he is facing a number of charges tied to the fire danger involved and the fact that he did not obtain a permit for such a large display, and he was also handed the bill for the cleanup, which totaled 777.42 dollars. Under New Jersey's strict fireworks laws, even small fireworks only became legal in the state in 2017.