BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Wednesday urged Bostonians to stop firing off illegal fireworks in the middle of the night because frightened residents are losing sleep, pets are suffering, and the loud bangs are being mistaken for gunshots.
“This year has been worse than usual. It started early and it has never stopped,” Walsh said of the recent uptick in fireworks usage. “Fireworks calls to the Boston Police Department this year are up 2,300 percent. When I saw that number I thought it was a misprint.”
In May of 2019, police responded to 27 calls about fireworks being shot off around the city. Last month, the police received more than 650 complaints, according to Walsh.
“This is a serious issue. People are frightened, people are losing sleep. Babies and kids are woken up. Pets are terrified. Our veterans and others with PTSD are experiencing real harm,” Walsh said. “It’s a real fire hazard in our city.”
Jay Josea is an Army veteran and said that for the most part, he’s been able to block out the sounds in his South Boston neighborhood.
“I have PTSD,” he said “I was field artillery. I guess, the sounds we heard were big
bangs, those were small. I can tell the difference between a pistol and fireworks.”
Police responding to reports of gunshots in Mattapan last week learned fireworks were being launched into the air, according to Walsh.
“The police have been able to confiscate some illegal fireworks but there’s only so much they can do,” Walsh said. “If you’re involved in this behavior, I want you to think about the people around you…I want you to do think about your community and stop it.”
The fireworks are usually a summer ritual that happens closer to the Fourth of July.
“I think people are tired of being in and when it started to get warm, that’s when it started happening,” one resident said.”
However, many things are different this year.
“People have different ways of protesting. When they killed Mr. Floyd, they went home and went to bed. Now you don’t sleep,” one woman said.
Walsh urged anyone with information on individuals who have been setting off fireworks to contact the authorities.
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