A California man was charged with involuntary manslaughter after illegal fireworks caused the death of an 8-year-old girl.
“There is nothing accidental about buying and lighting illegal fireworks,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a press release Wednesday. “An eight-year-old little girl is dead and the man who killed her is going to be held responsible. A few seconds of fun is not worth a lifetime of trauma and the loss of a beautiful little girl who never had the chance to grow up. Actions have consequences, and I would hope that anyone thinking of lighting illegal fireworks this holiday would think of little Jasmine’s face first and choose instead to celebrate safely.”
According to the press release, on July 4, 2025, Nguyen, her mother, and her 7-year-old sister were invited to a party at Decastro's home. Prosecutors allege that Decastro bought illegal fireworks along with legal ones to set off for a display. One of the illegal pyrotechnics was a $400 firework "cake"—a large shaped box containing multiple rockets that sets them off in sequence or in groups—he bought from an unlicensed seller. The cake "contained professional grade explosives that require a permit or license to buy, store, transport, or use."
After setting off multiple fireworks in the street in front of his house for over an hour, Decastro allegedly lit the cake as a grand finale. But the cake malfunctioned, and after a few seconds, shot aerial mortar shells into the driveway, where the neighbors were watching the display.
The Nguyen family was sitting next to a covered table on which more unspent fireworks were sitting. One of the firework mortars landed on the table and set them off. The other partygoers were able to make it inside Decastro's home to safety, but the fireworks went off before the little girl could make it.
Buena Park police officers arrived shortly thereafter and attempted to render her aid; she was then taken to the University of California, Irvine Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead just after her arrival.
Decastro is charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, along with recklessly setting fire causing great bodily injury, and the illegal possession of more than 100 pounds of dangerous fireworks. He faces a maximum sentence of 6 years in state prison. The case will be prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney's Homicide Unit.