Illegal fireworks set off

#MiddleburyCT #SelectmanShaban #IllegalFireworks

Illegal fireworks explode in the air over Middlebury July Fourth. Witnesses say they were fired from Selectman Brian Shaban’s property. (Screenshot from submitted video)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Several people in Middlebury either shot off illegal aerial fireworks or allowed them to be shot off on their property over the July Fourth weekend. One of them was Middlebury Selectman Brian Shaban, a town official well aware the fireworks were illegal.

This photo is one of many showing the debris left by illegal fireworks shot off at the home of a Middlebury selectman July 4. The newspaper also has a video of the fireworks being shot off. (Submitted photo)

Sources said a July 4 Middlebury neighborhood party at his home led to an estimated 40 to 50 cars coming and going on the surrounding streets. In addition to food, drinks, and live music, the party included a bonfire and aerial fireworks. Those sources, who are not being identified here to protect them from acts of retribution, said the fireworks were set off multiple times during the evening. Neighbors rose on Sunday morning to find pieces of fireworks debris scattered all over their properties and the roads in front of their homes.

Selectman Shaban, a career firefighter with UCONN and a deputy fire chief with the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, was present at the June 1, 2026, Board of Selectmen meeting when illegal fireworks were discussed. Selectman J. Paul Vance Sr., a retired Connecticut State Trooper, said then, “If it’s aerial or if it explodes, it is illegal. It’s simple math for any law enforcement officer to respond to and attempt to identify the culprits, and this is a misdemeanor.”

Discussing them again at a June 8, 2026, Police Commission meeting, Vance explained that, if the illegal fireworks cause injuries or a fire, what would have been a misdemeanor becomes a felony.

Warnings about the dangers of illegal fireworks also were in the July 2026 issue of this newspaper in a front page article on illegal fireworks and in a column by Fire Marshal Brian Proulx, who warned they can cause structure fires, burn injuries and more.

News from this year’s Fourth of July weekend detailed the fires, injuries and deaths caused by illegal fireworks. ABC7 in San Francisco reported two house fires were caused by illegal fireworks. CBS News in California reported a mortar blew up in a man’s hand causing fatal injuries to his head and chest. People magazine reported an Arkansas teen died after mishandling a firework, and it also reported a San Bernadino, Calif., family lost their home of 40 years to a fire they said was caused by an illegal firework. CBS News in Los Angeles reported a firework flew through a window screen and landed in a closet, causing a house there to burn to the ground.

Closer to home, CTPOLICELIVE reported on July 5, 2026, that a 21-year-old North Haven, Conn., man suffered life-altering facial injuries. A firework explosion left the victim with severe facial lacerations, burns, and a fractured eye socket, with emergency dispatchers reporting a missing left eye. The illegal fireworks shot off in Middlebury over the Fourth of July weekend could just as easily have injured or killed someone here or caused homes to burn down.

One of our sources said the fireworks at Shaban’s house first were shot off before the torrential downpour hit around 8:30 p.m. The rain caused a pause until around 9:30 p.m., and then fireworks were shot off another five times, the last at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday. Another source said there were a lot of fireworks and they were “heavy-duty fireworks” that probably were very expensive. They described the fireworks as “impressive” and “beautiful.”

That source also criticized Connecticut’s fireworks law. “It’s a silly law to have if you don’t enforce it or if your selectman and part of the fire department is breaking it,” they said. Noting selectmen need to model lawful behavior for the community, they said, “I want selectmen to obey every law we have.”

Had someone reported the fireworks to the police, they would have responded. Police Chief Patrick Deely said, however, that they got just one call about fireworks, and it was in another location in town. “It was a very uneventful Fourth of July,” he said.

Middlebury Fire Marshal Brian Proulx said he was unaware of the fireworks at the Shaban home. He was performing fire marshal duties at Quassy Amusement Park that night, he said, just as he does every year. “All I can refer to is my article from the last newspaper (July 2026),” he said, “and if anyone is firing them in the air, that is illegal.”

Per the CT.gov website, only regulated fireworks displays by state licensed professional pyro-technicians at sites which have been approved by state and local officials are allowed. Proulx said someone could hire a licensed pyro-technician, but no new permits had been issued for Middlebury. He explained permit applications first go to the local fire marshal before going on to the state fire marshal for approval.

Selectman Vance said he was out of town Fourth of July weekend, so wasn’t aware of illegal fireworks activity in Middlebury. He said his position is that having aerial fireworks is illegal and people need to do what the law says.

We have called Shaban for comment three times over two days and left three messages asking him to call us. As of Saturday morning, July 11, he has not responded to our calls. Should he respond, this article will be updated.