Fireworks Display Goes Awry; Bridgeport Man Charged

By Andrew Gorosko

A Bridgeport man who was staging an illegal fireworks display in the Riverside section of town on the night of July 4 got much more than he bargained for when a large number of powerful fireworks positioned on a dock accidentally discharged, causing multiple simultaneous pyrotechnic explosions at ground level.

Several dozen people, who were watching the display staged at 70 Waterview Drive on the Housatonic River, were aghast as the fireworks display suddenly, briefly ran amok, resulting in numerous 911 calls being placed to summon aid. Boaters on the river were also watching as the display erupted.

Authorities were alerted to the problem at 9:18 pm.

Police charged Stephen Audet, 35, of Bridgeport, who was launching the fireworks, with illegal possession of fireworks and with first-degree reckless endangerment. Audet received minor burns and scrapes in the incident.

Police said that many unlit fireworks had accidentally ignited, resulting in explosions and fire at the dock. Some of the fireworks traveled horizontally.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe pointed to the fireworks incident as “a great example of why you leave these types of activities to the [fireworks] professionals.” Chief Kehoe said that even professionals find it challenging to successfully ignite fireworks.

“[The incident] got to be very, very hazardous and dangerous,” Chief Kehoe said. Audet’s actions endangered his safety, that of the spectators, and private property, Chief Kehoe said.

Audet was released from police custody on a promise to appear July 20 in Danbury Superior Court to answer the criminal charges against him.

Initial 911 calls described the incident as an “explosion and structure fire, with people diving into the water,” said Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead. Consequently, Sandy Hook, Newtown Hook and Ladder, and Hawleyville firefighters, plus the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue Team, and the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps were initially dispatched to the incident.

Chief Halstead said that he was in the Riverside section when the call for help came through and got to the scene rapidly.

After assessing the situation, the fire chief reduced the emergency response to Sandy Hook firefighters and the ambulance corps, he said.

Apparently, some malfunction caused a large number of powerful fireworks to ignite simultaneously at ground level, he said. “Something went wrong…Quite a few [fireworks] had discharged,” he said.

But “it appeared a lot worse than it actually was,” he added. Initial 911 calls had described the situation in much more dire terms, he said.

After arriving at the scene, firefighters checked the area for possible fires, but found none, Chief Halstead said.

The dock that Audet used to launch the fireworks was scorched, and some nearby foam plastic used for flotation had burned, Chief Halstead said. The fire chief offered no damage estimate, saying that only superficial damage occurred.

Of the fireworks malfunction, Chief Halstead said, “I think it was very short...The display started and something went wrong….This guy screwed up,” he said.

“The general public should not be setting off commercial-style fireworks,” he said. Igniting fireworks is a complicated task even for licensed pyrotechnicians, he said.

 People who illegally light fireworks put themselves and spectators at risk, he said, adding that people could have been killed in such an incident.