NYC Cracking Down On Illegal Fireworks In Effort To Avoid Repeat Of Last Summer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - New York City is cracking down on illegal fireworks, in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last year.
There was a disturbing rise in the use of fireworks last summer. In one incident last June, a 3-year-old boy from the Bronx was rushed to the hospital with cuts and burns after being injured that went off outside his window.
Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new illegal fireworks task force.
"Illegal fireworks are noisy. They disrupt the peace of neighborhoods, but they can also be dangerous," de Blasio said. "And so our job is to pull together the work of many agencies to stop the fireworks from coming into New York City to begin with. This is a joint effort with the sheriff's office, the NYPD, and numerous other agencies of the city, the state and the federal government, including the ATF."
The new task force is now targeting major suppliers, and looking for places where illegal fireworks are stored before they are sold.