VIDEO: A shocking video circulating on Twitter shows the city’s fireworks problem taking a dangerous and cruel twist.
The video shows a man throwing a lit firework onto a sleeping homeless man at around 4 a.m. Monday at Lenox Avenue near 114th Street.
The firework sizzles and then explodes on the man.
The victim, 66, suffered minor burn injuries, police said. He was hospitalized in stable condition. The disturbing incident comes amid a massive increase in fireworks complaints across the city.
Since January 1, there have been at least 11,535 311 complaints due to illegal fireworks in New York. That’s compared to just 54 during the same period last year. Nearly half of the complaints – 4,559 – were in Brooklyn during June alone.
On Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a multi-agency task force to conduct sting operations targeting those selling illegal fireworks. The task force will consist of 10 NYPD officers, 12 FDNY Fire Marshals and 20 members of the Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation.