Tragic Death of 8-Year-Old Girl Linked to Illegal Fireworks: Authorities

A Fourth of July celebration in California resulted in tragedy when police say an illegal batch of fireworks “began misfiring” and struck a young girl, killing her.

The Buena Park Police Department says officers were patrolling the 8000 block of Cornflower Circle in Buena Park, a city in Orange County some 20 miles south of Los Angeles, on Friday at about 9:45 p.m. when they saw “a large quantity of fireworks detonate.” They then saw people they described as family members “frantically” carrying a child into a home.

The officers rushed to the child”s aid and said they saw a young girl, later revealed to be 8-year-old Jasmine Nguyen, suffering from “critical injuries, consistent with a fireworks-related explosion.” She was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.

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An initial investigation revealed that “a large illegal fireworks display” was set up in the street by a homeowner on the block. The fireworks “failed and began misfiring toward the residence where the child was,” the police department said.

The erratic fireworks also reportedly caused others to ignite – near the child and other people. The child was struck at some point, “causing fatal injuries.”

No one else was believed to have been significantly hurt.

Earl Decastro, 46, was reportedly a neighbor of Nguyen – and the man hosting the party at which everyone was gathered. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and was released on $25,000 bail, local news station KTLA reported, adding that any official charge would be filed by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Lt. Jon Shaddow of the Buena Park Police Department called Nguyen’s death “traumatic.”

“I can only imagine what the family is going through,” he told the outlet. “I can only imagine what the officers are going through, especially the one who took control of the scene and had to do life-saving measures.”

An official cause of death has not been revealed, but Shaddow said it “looked like it was mainly just traumatic internal injuries.”

A GoFundMe set up for Nguyen said her death has “left a void that words cannot fill.”

“Jasmine may be gone far too soon, but the impact she made in those few short years is eternal. She had a heart as big as her smile— one that noticed when someone was sad and made sure no one ever felt left out,” the page continues. “In her eight years, Jasmine showed us what it truly means to live in the moment, to love without reservation, and to find magic in the small things.”

Nguyen is said to have left behind a little sister, 7, and a single mother.