A Fourth of July barbecue in Valley Stream, on Long Island, ended with several people in the hospital after a man allegedly sprayed an unknown chemical at the gathering. One man has since been arrested and charged in connection with the incident, which turned a holiday celebration into a frightening emergency.
The host, Camati Rajroop, said about 30 people were at her home on Friday when some of the guests began to notice a strong, vinegar-like smell and started having trouble breathing. What had been a festive gathering quickly descended into panic as people struggled with the fumes.
In all, ten people, including three children, were taken to the hospital. According to authorities, everyone is expected to be okay, but Rajroop said that some members of her family were still feeling sick the following day, well after the party had ended.
She described relatives who continued to suffer in the aftermath. One was throwing up when she dropped them off at the airport, she said, while another cousin remained in the hospital and was the last to be released, still dealing with internal problems and uncertain about the lasting effects.
Police arrested 46-year-old Nicholas Stolls, accusing him of spraying the chemical at the party, and charged him with several offenses over the weekend. He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
Through his lawyer, Stolls offered a very different account of what happened. His attorney said that his client was simply spraying his own lawn, a version that stands in sharp contrast to the descriptions given by the guests who ended up needing hospital treatment.