Fireworks accident kills Gabriel Ruiz-Urresto, 37, of Central Islip
Police were called to the Central Islip home on Saturday night. Credit: Paul Mazza
A man lighting fireworks at a Central Islip party was killed after one of the devices exploded and struck him in the head, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
The man, identified as 37-year-old Gabriel Ruiz-Urresto, had been lighting the fireworks about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday in the backyard of his home, on East Sycamore Street just west of Boulevard Avenue, according to a police department news release and an email from the department’s press office.
"A mortar-style firework" struck him in the head, the email said.
Ruiz-Urresto was declared dead at the scene, the department said. Police had received an anonymous 911 call, according to the press office.
In a separate incident, a short time earlier, a 45-year-old man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a firework he was lighting about 8:50 p.m. at Callahans Beach in Fort Salonga exploded and struck him in the face, the department said.
The press office declined to provide the extent of his injuries.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, roughly 13,000 people nationwide were injured in 2025 in connection with fireworks and 15 people were killed.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
USA 250: Culper spy ring ... Winery summer nights ... Tracking heavy rain, possible flooding ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
USA 250: Culper spy ring ... Winery summer nights ... Tracking heavy rain, possible flooding ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
