A New York father is in the slammer for arson, after giving illegal fireworks to his child, which lit two homes on fire.
Bomb squad arrests dad who gave his 11-year-old illegal fireworks
The Nassau County Police Department said officers responded to a house fire in Levittown, New York, on 4th of July morning.
33-year-old Karamjit Singh allegedly told his 11-year-old son to light the firework, but instead of going up, it shot into a nearby shed, setting it ablaze.
The fire spread rapidly, consuming Singh’s home, before it jumped over to a neighboring house. A single mother a unit in Singh’s residence had to flee for her life as flames engulfed the building.
The Wantagh Fire Department managed to put out the fires before it spread further, but both houses sustained significant damage. Thankfully, no injuries occurred during the incident.
The Nassau County Arson Bomb Squad also responded to the scene and arrested Singh, who did not resist being taken into custody.
He now faces a series serious charges, including second-degree arson, fourth-degree reckless endangerment, illegal sale of fireworks to a minor, unlawful possession of fireworks, and child endangerment.
After pleading not guilty at his arraignment, Singh was released without bail the day after the holiday.
His son was reportedly handed over to a family member. Meanwhile, Nassau County Fire Marshals have begun a thorough investigation into the incident.
Mob of teens shoot off illegal fireworks inside of mall
In an unrelated event in Los Angeles, parents are furious after police detained their unattended children following a chaotic scene involving about 200 teenagers and a lot of fireworks at a California mall.
According to KTLA-TV, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded around 5:30 p.m. to reports of an unruly gathering of minors on Saturday night.
The situation escalated as fireworks were set off inside a store, and a trashcan was purposely ignited by the mob of children.
Despite dispersal orders from the authorities, the crowd of rowdy teens continued to disrupt business operations and jeopardize the safety of shoppers.
Deputies set up a perimeter and managed to catch more than 70 juveniles who were trying to flee from the law.
Parents and relatives were angered by what they perceived as an excessive response by law enforcement.
They complained that only the 30 or so teenagers who were shooting off illegal fireworks and lighting fires should have been arrested.
Deputies issued citations to the minors for failure to disperse and disturbing the peace. Parents were required to pick up their children, many of whom had never been in trouble before.
Some shoppers, however, felt the police response was warranted. Michelle Brooks, a San Pedro resident, said that the situation as “ridiculous” and that “parents need to get a hold of their children at all times.”
Despite the incident, there were no injuries or reports of theft from the mall stores, though it did close early for the night.
Jilted teenagers light barn on fire with illegal fireworks
In Arizona, two teenage boys allegedly threw illegal fireworks into a barn as an act of revenge.
The incident, sparked by romantic rejection from the owner’s teenage daughter, resulted in the complete destruction of the barn.
Video footage captured the dramatic moment the Gilbert barn became engulfed in flames while around ten children were celebrating inside. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
The fire was allegedly started by two boys who had been harassing Lexi Jones, the daughter of the barn’s owner.
Jeni Jones, Lexi’s mom, recounted her horror as she contacted emergency services and evacuated the children.
“It’s such a traumatic thing when it’s happening,” she told Fox10. “Two of the vehicles we were able to move that were right here that we saved. But you know, you can see everything else is a total loss.”
Lexi and her friends were on the second floor of the barn when the fire broke out. Following the incident, one of the boys who was allegedly behind the crime reportedly sent Lexi a Snapchat message, further taunting her.
The teenage boys responsible for the fire have been arrested and charged with arson and endangerment. Their identities remain undisclosed, with officials referring to them only as juveniles.
