A 10-year-old girl lost several fingers after a firework exploded at General Douglas MacArthur Park in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island on Tuesday evening, authorities said. A New York City Parks Department employee has been charged in connection with the incident.
The explosion occurred around 6:45 p.m. in a park bathroom. According to authorities, the child found an M-80 firework in the restroom and showed it to Joshua Moe, 24, a Parks Department worker. Moe allegedly helped light the firework.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion near the restroom area moments after the firework was ignited. Responding police officers found the girl suffering from catastrophic injuries to her left hand and applied a tourniquet before transporting her to Staten Island University Hospital.
The girl's mother called 911 after her daughter's left hand was seriously injured in the blast. According to prosecutors, the child lost her fingers and sustained a laceration to her right hand, along with burns to her left hand, right arm and torso.
Police said Moe knows the girl and gave her a lighter when she asked for one. In a statement to investigators, Moe said, "Yes, I gave her the lighter. I didn't think this would have happened. I wanted them to have fun," according to the criminal complaint.
Moe was arrested at the park and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The girl was listed in stable condition at the hospital following the incident.
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