NEW YORK — A 10-year-old girl lost several fingers after a firework exploded at a Staten Island park, and a New York City Parks Department employee has been charged in connection with the incident.
The explosion happened around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at General Douglas MacArthur Park.
Authorities said the child found an M-80 firework in a park bathroom and showed it to a Parks Department worker, who authorities say helped light it.
Moments later, witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion near the restroom area.
Responding police officers found the girl suffering from catastrophic injuries to her left hand and applied a tourniquet before rushing her to Staten Island University Hospital.
She was listed in stable condition, but authorities said she lost several fingers in the blast.
Investigators said the girl told authorities the city employee lit the firework for her before it detonated.
“She’s doing well. She’s talking. She’s hurt; she’s confused. And although at 10, people say, ‘oh, she should know better,’ yes, she should know better, but kids are curious and you as an adult should know that sometimes you can’t tend to curiosity,” a resident said. “Now this little girl is going to suffer for the rest of her life because of somebody’s carelessness.”
Police arrested Joshua Moe, a 24-year-old employee of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, in connection with the incident.
He told a responding officer, “Yes, I gave her the lighter. I didn’t think this would have happened. She wanted the lighter to light a firework; I wanted to make them happy and have fun.”
He has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.
He was arraigned in criminal court on Staten Island on Wednesday and was granted supervised release by the judge.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not said how the firework ended up inside the park bathroom.