San Francisco police officers on Thursday seized hundreds of illegal fireworks, including various rockets and barrel bombs, inside a stolen U-Haul van that was driving through the city, Interim Chief Paul Yep announced on Friday.
Officers identified and began tracking the van around 6 p.m. with assistance from the Real-Time Investigation Center, allowing officers to safely stop the vehicle in the Bayview District and apprehend the driver.
The enforcement took hundreds of dangerous fireworks off the street ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, when San Francisco public safety officials increased resources to respond to numerous illegal fireworks cases.
The van’s driver, 38-year-old Joe Jenkins of San Francisco was transported to San Francisco County Jail and booked on the charges of driving or taking a vehicle without consent (10851(a) CVC), receiving a stolen vehicle (496d(a) PC), possession of a large number of fireworks (12700(b)(3) PC), illegal possession of explosives (12305 HS), and 26 counts of illegal possession of explosives (12305 HS).
“I want to thank our officers for taking these extremely dangerous explosives off our streets,” Yep said. “This large cache of fireworks could have caused untold destruction in our city. Every year, fireworks lead to serious injuries, fires, and other critical incidents that our officers routinely respond to.
All fireworks are illegal in San Francisco, but Thursday’s enforcement led to the recovery of some especially dangerous examples, including “ground to sky” fireworks and barrel bombs, which can cause serious bodily injuries and death to members of the public.
The San Francisco Police Department is increasing staffing and resources ahead of the Fourth of July to continue to seize illegal fireworks and to protect the public. Members of the public are encouraged to celebrate responsibly and enjoy San Francisco’s fireworks show along the waterfront.
