Oceanside man caught with illegal fireworks

An Independence Day show went wrong for an Oceanside man when he was arrested and charged with possessing hundreds of illegal fireworks.

Joseph Tullo, 29, was wiring mortar racks in front of his home on West Henrietta Avenue, according to Nassau County police, when they arrived there at 7:40 p.m. on July 4, having responded to complaints from neighbors. Police said they found 539 mortar tubes set up and loaded with shells. On the grass next to the mortar tube racks were 91 assorted “cakes,” or multiple-tube devices comprising Roman candles and/or small aerial shells connected by a high-speed fuse. It is illegal to buy, sell or use these powerful, aerial fireworks in the state.

Tullo was charged with the illegal storage of explosives as well as buying, transporting and using them. He was conditionally released to probation after a court arraignment on July 5, but was scheduled to be back in First District Court in Hempstead on July 8.

New York state recently legalized small fireworks, allowing those over age 18 to buy items such as sparklers, party poppers and cone fountains from July 1 to 5 and Dec. 26 to Jan. 2. Counties had to “opt in” to the law, which neither Nassau nor Suffolk County has done. New York City is not allowed to opt in. Half of New York’s 62 counties have chosen to sell fireworks. The law was passed to prevent New Yorkers from buying fireworks in other states nearby, such as Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and transporting them into to the state for use or resale without paying taxes.