Beachwood Fireworks Over Toms River Canceled: Mayor

BEACHWOOD, NJ — If you were planning to come to Beachwood or any of the spots along the Toms River to watch the fireworks display Wednesday night, you will need to make other plans: the 83rd annual fireworks display has been canceled.

"Unfortunately due to a complete letdown by the the company Fireworks Extravaganza we are unable to have a fireworks celebration tonight," Beachwood Mayor Ron Roma said via email Wednesday.

"The company said that they do not have a hazmat-licensed driver to deliver the fireworks," Roma said. "As far as I am concerned this is completely unacceptable."

"They should have had a backup driver on standby," he said.

There is no rescheduled date at this time, according to Beachwood police.

Roma told WOBM, which was scheduled to do a live broadcast to accompany the fireworks, that the fireworks were supposed to be delivered Wednesday from Maryland because there's no place to store them ahead of time. He told the radio station the event cannot be rescheduled because the law enforcement preparation, including an arrangement with the U.S. Coast Guard, takes weeks to arrange.

A phone message and an email to Fireworks Extravaganza, which is based in Rochelle Park, NJ, were not immediately returned.

The Beachwood display wasn't the only one canceled due to a fireworks company failing to deliver fireworks. In Middlesex County, the Milltown fireworks display was canceled for the same reason, according to a post on the police department's Facebook page. It could not be confirmed Wednesday evening whether the fireworks company Milltown had hired was the same as the one hired for the Beachwood display.

The fireworks, an annual event since the 1930s, draw nearly 10,000 people to Beachwood itself, and hundreds of boats to the Toms River to view them as well. They are paid for through donations and sponsorships, with fundraising done by a dedicated committee, Fireworks on the Toms River, that was created in 1984 by then-Mayor William T. Hornidge. The fireworks display was first held in 1922.

The cancellation was announced by the Ocean County Sheriff's Office at 2 p.m. via Nixle alert.

(Looking for options? Check our full list of events and fireworks: Ocean County July 4th Fireworks, Parades and More: 2018 Guide)

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Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff