8-Year-Old Girl Dies After Being ‘Struck’ by Illegal Fireworks on Fourth of July

An 8-year-old Calif. girl tragically died on the Fourth of July in an incident involving illegal fireworks.

On Friday, July 4, the Buena Park Police Department was on patrol around 9:45 p.m. after seeing a large number of fireworks being let off in the area when they “observed family members frantically carrying a child into a residence,” according to a press release.

Officers reported to the scene and found that the young girl had “suffered critical injuries, consistent with a fireworks-related explosion.” Officers at the scene “quickly began life-saving efforts” and the girl was transported to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The 8-year-old has since been identified as Jasmine Nguyen of Anaheim, according to reporting by KTLA and ABC7 that cited the Buena Park Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

According to the press release, an initial investigation found that a homeowner had allegedly put on “a large illegal fireworks display” in the street when they “began misfiring toward the residence where the child was.”

This triggered a chain reaction that caused additional explosions. “At some point, the child had been struck, causing fatal injuries,” the release continued, adding that no other significant injuries were reported in the incident.

The homeowner was subsequently arrested, per the release. He was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter but has since been released on bail, per KTLA and ABC7.

Official charges are pending a review by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, according to the release.

The suspect has been identified as Earl Decastro, per the local outlets.

Orange County Fire Authority investigators and the Orange County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad are assisting with the investigation. According to the police department, they identified “a large number of fireworks that detonated were illegal.”

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PEOPLE has reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Buena Park Police Department, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Orange County Fire Authority for comment.

The Orange County Fire Authority posted a warning about using illegal fireworks on their website ahead of the holiday. In it, they encouraged the public to attend firework shows “conducted by trained professionals” and warned of the risks of setting off fireworks on private property.

A fact sheet shared by the organization noted “safe and sane fireworks” were permitted in Buena Park but warned that illegal fireworks could lead to steep fines and the sentence of a year in prison.