Edison PD Seizes Illegal Fireworks From Vendor Tent

EDISON, NJ —The Edison Police Department seized hundreds of illegal fireworks on Friday evening from Boom Fireworks, the department announced on Facebook.

In anticipation of the Indian holiday of Diwali on Thursday, the EPD established extra patrols to monitor an expected increase in fireworks volume. Boom Fireworks, a New Brunswick-based fireworks retailer, set up a temporary sales operation of prohibited aerial fireworks on Oak Tree Road, where a number of South Asian-owned businesses are located.

On Friday at around 7:15 p.m., EPD Officer Michael Cimmino carried out an inspection of a few different vending tents on Oak Tree Road, EPD Lt. Robert Dudash told Patch. Cimmino found that Boom Fireworks was selling boxes of aerial fireworks that are illegal in New Jersey. Authorities seized those boxes, and handed them to the Edison Fire Marshall’s Office for investigation. Boom Fireworks has also had its permit to sell fireworks in Edison suspended, the EPD said. No summons or arrests have been made, Dudash said.

Dudash also told Patch that Boom Fireworks had received the necessary permits from the Fire Marshall’s Office to operate a vending stand.

Amit Bedawala, the owner of Boom Fireworks, told Patch that his supplier had told him that all items were legal to sell in New Jersey, and the event stems from a misunderstanding. “I don’t intentionally want to hurt anybody, I want to obey the law,” he said. Bedawala, who says he has set up a tent in Edison during Diwali for four years without incident, was planning to sell fireworks for the whole weekend, but the operation was suspended Friday night. Bedawala says he has not heard any new information from the Fire Marshall’s Office. He also said other locations in New Brunswick and Parsippany are still operational.