Shootings, Not Fireworks, Are NYPD's 'Job 1,' De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — An illegal fireworks boom has sparked frustrations among New Yorkers, blown up 311 lines, cost them sleep and even injured a 3-year-old Bronx boy. But don't expect a wide-ranging NYPD crackdown on every annoying neighborhood pyrotechnic display.

Police have other "profound challenges" to deal with right now, particularly a recent citywide spike in shootings, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday. The shootings are "job one," he said.

He didn't snuff out police interventions entirely, though.

“Sometimes there’s an opportunity to intervene, other times there’s not enough an opportunity to intervene,” he said. “Obviously, the NYPD is constantly about protecting people’s lives and when they see an opportunity to intervene, when they can actually protect safety in an effective manner of course they’re going to do that.”

De Blasio's comments were in response to questions from reporter Julia Marsh with the New York Post. One recent Post report focused on a 3-year-old Bronx boy who was injured by a firework that blasted through his window — an incident caught on video.

Early this morning, a 3-year-old boy was injured by fireworks while inside of his apartment. The victim was in a bedroom looking out of the window at the fireworks, when one of the shells entered the window striking him. pic.twitter.com/OGYCnE8Cq2
— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) June 24, 2020

The boy's father told the Post that cops should put a stop to illegal fireworks.

De Blasio expressed sympathy for the boy and said the city takes the issue seriously. He said he trusted police judgment on when public safety is at risk.

More important is to get at the "root cause," he said, alluding to a recently formed multi-agency crackdown on illegal fireworks dealers.

The task force already busted 12 people in Bronx, 10 people in Staten Island and a dealer in Manhattan, de Blasio said.

“We have to shut down the source, and whenever there’s an opportunity to intervene they should," he said. "But that’s not every opportunity, that’s just the truth."

Some videos have shown police turn an apparent blind eye to fireworks being set off. Marsh told de Blasio she has seen impromptu, illegal fireworks shows go on for 20 minutes or more — as has this Patch reporter.

De Blasio dismissed Marsh's eyewitness account and the videos.

"Respectfully, the videos don’t tell you the whole story as per usual in life," he said.