New Jersey to crack down on people setting off illegal fireworks at all hours of the night

Police departments across the state are going to start cracking down on people who have been setting off illegal fireworks at all hours of the night over the past few weeks.
Hoboken police say that they have received reports from residents 13 nights in a row for loud fireworks going off at night. They say that it is not just a quality of life issue, but that it is also dangerous. At least one building in Hoboken was damaged by fireworks that were set off just before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
“People do not deserve to be woken up in the middle of the night, people who have jobs in the morning or have small children, by loud fireworks that sound like gunshots,” says Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante.
Several towns have put together new police units to handle the situation. Hoboken will even create legislation to regulate fireworks.
“We want to make sure anyone lighting fireworks in Hoboken only does so with a permit. And it’s regulated within a certain time period and a place done so in a way it doesn’t disrupt the quality of life of residents,” says Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
Police have now increased overnight patrols and will issue summonses to those caught lighting off fireworks late at night.
“We have visible heightened patrols on the waterfront and western Hoboken – two areas where we’ve seen a lot of those activities taking place,” says Bhalla.
Ferrante says that summonses will be issued to anyone disturbing the peace after 10 p.m. Fines can be up to $500.
Neighboring Jersey City has also created a new police unit after videos posted on social media showed people firing Roman candles at each other.