Downey Man ID'd In Deadly Illegal Fireworks Explosion In Montebello

LOS ANGELES — A Downey resident has been identified as the man who died when illegal fireworks he was holding exploded on the Fourth of July.

As Los Angeles Patch previously reported, police found a severely injured man unconscious and not breathing around 6:30 p.m. Monday at a Germain Drive home, near North Maple Avenue. He died at a hospital.

On Friday, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office identified him as Zorak Habeshian, 42, of Downey.

Montebello police said Habeshian used unlawful aerial fireworks, KTVU-TV reported. He was trying to ignite a mortar-type firework when the device exploded, leaving him with severe upper body injuries.

"It's an explosive ball packed very densely with gunpowder and fireworks displays. It's put in a long tube," city spokesman Michael Chee told KCBS-TV. "It's meant to be on the ground because of the force of ejection. We understand the individual may have been holding the device when it went off."

At least three people — including a child — died and more were injured in fireworks accidents across America over the July 4 holiday.

The deaths and injuries come as fireworks injuries soared 25 percent in the United States between 2006 and 2021, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated in a new report.

Last year, at least nine people died, and an estimated 11,500 were injured in firework-related incidents. Of the nine deaths, six were associated with firework misuse and one was associated with a faulty mortar launch. In two of the deaths, the circumstances weren't known.

Additionally, there were an estimated 11,500 emergency room-treated injuries involving fireworks in 2021. That was down from 15,600 in 2020, when many public shows were canceled due to the pandemic.

Young adults ages 20 to 24 saw the highest estimated rate of emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries.