Five men were stabbed Friday after a dispute over illegal fireworks in the Bronx turned violent, police said.
Police said a man was setting off fireworks in a public park in the South Bronx shortly before 1:30 a.m. when he was confronted by someone who objected to the fireworks, sparking a fight.
The man who had been setting off fireworks stabbed or slashed four men, and one of the men grabbed the knife and stabbed him, police said.
All five men were hospitalized with wounds that police said were not life-threatening. Charges were pending.
A surge in illegal fireworks use in New York City in recent weeks has resulted in severe residential damage and personal injuries.
In late June, the illegal pyrotechnics took a dangerous turn in the Flatlands neighborhood of Brooklyn. A group of people setting off fireworks launched a roman candle directly into the bedroom window of a home. The fire grew quickly, soon swallowing the whole back of the house and a car in the driveway.
The FDNY has announced dozens of arrests in over the course of several weeks and confiscated more than $40,000 in fireworks.
