850 Lbs. of Illegal Fireworks Seized
A Westminster man was arrested on suspicion of possession of 850 pounds of illegal fireworks that he reportedly ordered through the Internet, police in Orange said Friday.
Phong Nguyen, 22, was being held at the Orange County Jail on felony charges, said Orange Fire Capt. Ian MacDonald. Bail had not been set.
Nguyen was arrested shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday when he showed up at a freight company in the 1600 block of Batavia Street in Orange to pick up about 12 boxes marked “fireworks.” The workers grew suspicious and called police.
“This is an unusually large shipment of fireworks,” MacDonald said.
“They are aerial fireworks and explosive fireworks. If a box of aerial fireworks caught on fire, there’s a chance they could discharge and cause other fires and they can cause serious burn injuries.”
The fireworks were purchased from a wholesale pyrotechnics store based in Wayne, Okla.
MacDonald declined to say what Nguyen had planned to do with the explosives, citing an ongoing investigation.
Aerial fireworks are prohibited in California and only a few Orange County cities -- Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Stanton -- permit the sale of “safe and sane” fireworks.
The National Council on Fireworks Safety estimates that 9,600 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries in 2004.
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