Legal fireworks in NJ: Avoid starting a fire — or getting fined
With the Fourth of July holiday fast approaching, many New Jersey residents are thinking about fireworks.
But law enforcement officials want to make sure you handle the legal ones with care and only set off fireworks that are approved under Garden State law.
What kind of fireworks are legal in New Jersey?
The New Jersey Explosives and Fireworks Act, which was amended in 2017, stipulates the only permissible fireworks are hand-held or ground-based sparklers, snakes and glow worms, as well as smoke devices and trick noisemakers.
Other more powerful fireworks are available in nearby states like Pennsylvania but New Jersey State Police Sgt. Alejandro Goez pointed out “if they are illegal here in New Jersey, you cannot have it."
He said even the fireworks that are legal in the Garden State can be dangerous and need to be handled with care.
How to safely set off fireworks
Setting off more powerful fireworks with concentrated explosive material is not only illegal, it’s dangerous.
Sparklers can burn at temperatures of 2,000 degrees, enough to melt some metals.
Fireworks also pose a fire hazard.
When lighting up sparklers, have a bucket of water nearby and avoid areas with wood and grass.
You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com