Amateur Fireworks Annoy Residents Over Holiday Weekend

The phone lines at the La Grange Police Department lit up like the Fourth of July sky over the holiday weekend, thanks to amateur pyrotechnicians driving their neighbors crazy by setting off fireworks.

More than a dozen calls came in between July 2 and July 5 from residents reporting the patriotic explosions in their neighborhoods.

The bulk of the calls came from along Washington Avenue, including multiple reports from around the Park District of La Grange Recreation Center throughout the day.

In most cases, the offenders were gone by the time police arrived, though officers confiscated bottle rockets and other assorted firecrackers from one teen.

Here’s a rundown of the calls. No one was at the site when officers arrived, unless otherwise noted.

Friday, July 5

• 11:37 p.m. in the 800 block of La Grange Road
• 6:02 p.m. in an alley between East and Washington

Thursday, July 4

• 11:24 p.m. in the 200 block of Washington. Several people were sent on their way.
• 8:51 p.m. on 8th and 9th between 49th and 50th
• 4:01 p.m. fireworks were shot from a car traveling east on Ogden near La Grange Road. The teen’s parents said they would handle the discipline.
• 2:22 p.m. near the intersection of Washington and Calendar.
• 12:08 a.m. across from the 7-Eleven at 47th Street and La Grange Road
• Multiple calls throughout the day around the Park District of La Grange Recreation Center. Officers warned one teen and confiscated his bottle rockets and firecrackers. No one was around the other times that officers showed up.

Wednesday, July 3

• 11:45 p.m. in the 0-99 block of East Avenue. Officers told the offender to stop.

Tuesday, July 2

• 5:41 p.m. in an alley around Calendar and Washington. An officer spoke with a group of four to five people who said they weren’t to blame. They said residents on Sawyer were setting off the fireworks.
• 5:10 p.m. behind Second Baptist Church, 26 Washington
• 3:39 p.m. on the east side of La Grange
• 3 p.m. in the 0-99 block of Washington