Trending Topics

Man charged after giving a child fireworks that set 2 homes on fire, police say

The man was charged with arson after giving the 11-year-old fireworks and telling the child to light them; no injuries were reported, according to the Nassau County PD

Associated Press

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. — A New York man was charged with arson after giving an 11-year-old child fireworks that set a shed and two homes on fire on Independence Day, police said.

Trending
Investigators said Hieu Tran used his NYPD-issued firearm to shoot the man as they sat in their vehicles; a lawsuit alleges Tran “calmly fled the scene ... and went to work the next day like nothing happened”
Diego Barron-Esquivel, described as a Mexican national, “did intentionally and forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate and interfere with” an ICE agent, court documents show
Officers were guarding evidence at a homicide scene when a man emerged from an apartment and fired shots; he later opened fire again, wounding an officer in the face
Jason Banegas, who pleaded guilty to murdering Hollywood Police Department Officer Yandy Chirino, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole

The Nassau County Police Department on Long Island said Karamjit Singh, 33, told the child to light the fireworks Thursday morning outside his home in Levittown, but they malfunctioned and set a shed on fire. The blaze then spread to Singh’s home and a neighboring house in the suburban neighborhood, causing extensive damage.

Images captured by local media showed thick smoke billowing from the fire and the side of one of the homes burned away to expose its wooden studs. Charred debris was strewn across the yard.

No injuries were reported. Singh was arrested without incident and the child was released to a family member, police said.

Court records show Singh is being represented by the Nassau County legal aid office. A message seeking comment was left there on Sunday. Singh is charged with arson, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, among other charges.