Overview
- Gabriel Ruiz-Urresto, 37, lit a mortar-style firework in his Central Islip backyard when it exploded and struck his head, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
- A separate blast injured 45-year-old Jerry DiMucci at Callahans Beach and he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
- The Suffolk County Police Department has opened investigations into both incidents and emergency responders attended each scene; no criminal charges have been announced.
- Mortar-style consumer fireworks are powerful devices that launch a shell and can cause high-velocity explosions or unpredictable failures when handled or set up improperly.
- Officials are likely to issue safety warnings and the probes could affect local enforcement or guidance on consumer fireworks as authorities work to determine cause and fault.