Fireworks Seized After Street Evacuation in Valhalla

Westchester County and Mount Pleasant Police this morning alerted neighbors along Saldi Lane to vacate their homes while the fireworks are removed by members of the county police Hazardous Devices Unit and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Several local streets in the vicinity of Saldi Lane will also be closed to traffic until the explosive material is removed. The public is asked to avoid the area.

Stephen Surace, 53, of 4 Saldi Lane, Valhalla, was charged at 12:22 a.m. with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd Degree and Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree, felonies, and Unlawfully Dealing in Fireworks, a misdemeanor. He will be arraigned today in Mount Pleasant Town Court.

Surace was taken into custody late Monday night after an undercover county police officer purchased $1,000 worth of fireworks and observed that the basement of the home was stacked virtually floor to ceiling with several hundred boxes of fireworks, many of them used in commercial fireworks displays.

“Based on the volume of material and the potential explosive hazard, the decision was made to move immediately to arrest Mr. Surace and secure the home,” Public Safety Commissioner George N. Longworth said.