Privacy update — September 18, 2026: Identifying details have been removed under our victim privacy policy.
What Happened
A 37-year-old man from Central Islip was killed late Saturday night — the Fourth of July — after a mortar-style firework struck him in the head while he was lighting explosives at a backyard party, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. He was declared dead at the scene. No transport to a hospital was attempted.
Newsday reported that the man had been lighting fireworks in the backyard of his own home on East Sycamore Street, located just west of Boulevard Avenue in Central Islip, before 9:30 p.m. on July 4, 2026. The incident unfolded during what was described as a party at the residence. An email from the Suffolk County Police Department’s press office confirmed the specific nature of the device: “A mortar-style firework” struck him in the head. Mortar-style fireworks are among the most powerful consumer-grade explosives legally sold in many states, typically launched from a tube and designed to detonate at altitude — making a direct head strike at ground level catastrophically lethal.
Police were notified through an anonymous 911 call, according to the department’s press office. Responding officers found the man unresponsive and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The department released details via both a formal news release and a follow-up email from its press office, providing specific information about the type of firework involved.
As reported by Brentwood-Central Islip Patch, the explosion and impact occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m., placing it squarely in the heart of the traditional Fourth of July fireworks window when private displays are most active across Long Island. The man was the one operating the fireworks at the time of the fatal incident — not a bystander.
The same evening, in a separate and unrelated fireworks incident, a 45-year-old man was injured at Callahans Beach in Fort Salonga. That incident occurred a short time before the Central Islip fatality, according to Suffolk County Police. In that case, a firework the man was lighting exploded and struck him in the face. He was transported to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The Suffolk County Police Department confirmed both incidents in its communications but did not identify the Fort Salonga victim by name.
According to figures cited by Newsday from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 14,700 people were injured in connection with fireworks in 2024, with 11 fatalities reported that year. The death represents one of the starkest illustrations of those statistics playing out locally — a man lighting consumer fireworks in his own backyard, during a neighborhood celebration, who did not survive the night.
Location & Road Context
The incident occurred on East Sycamore Street in Central Islip, a densely populated residential hamlet in the Town of Islip in Suffolk County. The address sits just west of Boulevard Avenue, a north-south corridor that connects several residential blocks in the area. East Sycamore Street is a quiet neighborhood road — not a major arterial — and the fireworks display was taking place in a private residential backyard, as is common throughout Suffolk County on the Fourth of July.
Fort Salonga, where the second fireworks injury occurred, is a hamlet on the North Shore of Suffolk County in the Town of Smithtown. Callahans Beach is a waterfront location, and fireworks use near beaches on holidays is a documented pattern across Long Island. For road and area updates across Suffolk County, Long Island Traffic tracks active incidents in real time.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
As of the morning of July 5, 2026, no charges had been filed or announced in connection with either fireworks incident. Suffolk County Police have not publicly identified any suspects or indicated that criminal proceedings are anticipated. The death appears, based on available information, to have been a tragic accident resulting from the use of consumer-grade mortar fireworks. The department’s investigation into the circumstances remains ongoing. It is worth noting that the 911 call that brought officers to the scene was made anonymously, which may have implications for witness identification as detectives continue their review.