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Pocono News Section
Neighbors Criticize Police Over Fireworks Show
Neighbors Criticize Police Over Fireworks Show - Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 12:43PM EST
Reported by: Joe Holden
Thursday, Jul 10, 2008 @ 12:43am EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- A Park Avenue homeowner is furious with the police department following a fireworks display that lasted hours outside his home on July 4th.
Anthony Kuren caught it all on camera and provided WBRE Eyewitness News an exclusive copy.
The video, shot on a home camcorder, shows a number of unidentified people lighting bottle rockets, Roman candles and an assortment of exploding projectiles in the middle of busy Park Avenue. The video shows traffic impacted by the 2-hour long show. At one point, a police officer showed up carrying a box. Eyewitness News was unable to determine the identity of the officer or which department he was from. It was also unknown if he was on duty at the time of his visit. After the officer left, the fireworks display continued. The camera was positioned on a tripod in a 2nd floor bedroom window.
The tape shows at points sparks showered onto neighboring properties. Kuren pointed to concerns about fire hazards and an appearance of disrespect for other peoples' property. Eyewitness News was unable to reach anyone connected to the fireworks show.
Later in the evening, as more fireworks rocketed off the ground, a Wilkes-Barre patrol car briefly stopped in the video and then proceeded on. Through a city spokeswoman, Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Gerald Dessoye commented the force was stretched thin on the Fourth of July. A reported "cursory look" of records revealed no reports of property damage. Kuren showed us a damaged car hood. He blames the damage on fireworks. The city spokeswoman noted officials had not seen the video in question and would not comment further citing "these are your [Eyewitness News] descriptions."
Pennsylvania has strict laws dealing with the sale of fireworks, limiting the variety available to the public. Cracking down on amateur fireworks displays routinely comes under jurisdiction of the local municipality, according to Eyewitness News archives.
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