Man Nabbed With Illegal Fireworks After I-84 Stop, State Police Say

A speeding stop on I-84 in the Hudson Valley led to the arrest of a 51-year-old man in possession of illegal fireworks, State Police said.

New York State Police troopers busted a man with illegal fireworks during a speeding stop.
Photo Credit: *New York State Police*

Zak Failla

07/02/2020 7:00 a.m.

Troopers stopped Saratoga County resident Matthew Zullo, of Mechanicville, on Monday, June 29 in Greene County the town of Greenville when he was clocked driving 86 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to police.

Police said that during the traffic stop, troopers spotted “a large amount of fireworks in plain view" on the backseat of Zullo’s 2004 Mercury.

The bust came a day after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that State Police would be cracking down on the transport of illegal fireworks into the state following nights of disrupting explosions in the middle of the night.

“Fireworks are dangerous and illegal,” he said on Monday. “Some nights it sounds like the Wild West with the fireworks going off. I’ve never heard it like this before.”

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Zullo was arrested and charged with unlawful sale of fireworks, a misdemeanor. His fireworks were seized by troopers and he was released and scheduled to appear in the Town of Greenville Court on Thursday, July 23.

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