8-year-old girl dies after illegal fireworks display misfires in Buena Park; homeowner arrested

BUENA PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- An 8-year-old girl who was killed during an illegal July Fourth fireworks display at a neighborhood in Buena Park was identified by authorities Sunday as Jasmine Nguyen of Anaheim.

Jasmine was injured at about 9:45 p.m. Friday in the 8000 block of Cornflower Circle, north of La Palma and Stanton avenues, according to the Buena Park Police Department. Officers were patrolling there after seeing a large quantity of fireworks detonate in the area, and observed family members "frantically carrying a child into a residence."

They stopped and attempted life-saving efforts before the girl was rushed to UC Irvine Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

"Through initial investigation, a large illegal fireworks display, which was placed in the street by the homeowner, failed and began misfiring toward the residence where the child was," police said Saturday. "This caused other illegal fireworks to ignite, which were near the child and others. At some point, the child had been struck, causing fatal injuries. Several other individuals were present, but no significant injuries were reported."

The department added that the homeowner was arrested, and charges are pending upon review from the Orange County District Attorney's Office. The BPPD was working with Orange County Fire Authority investigators and the Orange County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad.

Police arrested 46-year-old Earl Decastro, booking him for involuntary manslaughter. He has since bailed out of jail.

Unlike some Southland cities that ban residential fireworks completely, Buena Park allows so-called "Safe-and-Sane'' fireworks. However, investigators say a large number of fireworks that detonated were illegal.

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, we showed video of a box of some TNT brand fireworks found near the scene. According to authorities, those fireworks were not involved in the tragic incident. The "safe and sane" TNT fireworks are state approved and legally permitted for sale in the city of Buena Park. We regret any impression we may have given that the legally approved product was involved. TNT is a longtime partner in statewide public safety efforts to prevent tragedies like this one.

City News Service contributed to this report.