Police: Resident and Suspects Lucky No Injury in Bomb-Like Fireworks Explosion

A Dearborn man’s door was broken, the windows blew out and his living room filled with smoke after a powerful firework exploded on his front porch about 2 a.m. Friday and caused significant damage.

Dearborn police detective Capt. William Leavens told Patch.com that the victim, Walter Zulaski, wasn’t targeted with the firework, but was lucky that he wasn’t injured. Blinds covering his window protected him from shattered glass, possibly saving his life, Leavens said.

“This was a random act of maliciousness,” Leavens said of the firework, described as a coconut shell, that was placed on Zulaski’s porch. The firework was legally purchased under Michigan law.

“That doesn’t mean they’re safe for all conditions,” Leavens said. “It’s a pretty serious explosive device if not used in the right manner or at the right location.”

Police have some leads and expect a quick arrest of the suspects, who are believed to be juveniles, Leavens said.

“It was more than likely poor decisionmaking on their part, not realizing the extent of the damage the firework can cause,” he said.

“It’s fair to say that everybody is happy nobody got hurt,” Leavens said. “The people who lived t the house are fortunate, but the suspects are also fortunate that no one got hurt, because that would have made this more serious.

Leavens said the incident is a powerful reminder that fireworks can be dangerous, especially when combined with “malicious intent” and lack of maturation.

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