A Florida man found a unique way to respond to fireworks controversies this Fourth of July that is making headlines. According to a report by local NBC News affiliate WLWT, someone in Cape Coral, Florida has been screaming his impressions of fireworks sounds in the early hours of the morning. Neighbors can only speculate about which side of the issue he falls on.
Neighbors in Cape Coral, Florida reported hearing a man’s voice screaming words like “boom!” “firecracker!” and “bottle rocket!” as early as 3 a.m. ET in the last week. Neighbor Sara Warnecke even shared security footage of the man wandering around shouting. She speculated that the man was making an ironic protest against last year’s out of control fireworks violations, which bothered her as well. However, she was not amused, nor were her pets.
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“The dogs were barking and we go outside, and this guy is screaming. I mean, so loud,” she said. Warnecke was one of many neighbors to yell back at the unidentified screamer, demanding that he shut up and let them sleep. Like real fireworks, however, he persisted.
Others suspect that the man is protesting fireworks restrictions, wishing he could be setting off the real thing. Cape Coral reportedly has strict laws governing the use of fireworks, which are allowed only on three days out of the year. Even then, the police might be called to respond to a violation of noise ordinance if the explosives used are especially loud.
Some locals suspect that this man is trying to get around those rules with his screaming, with one neighbor even speculating that he is “on something.” However, the Cape Coral Police Department’s Master Corporal Phil Mullen said: “Pretending to be a firework is also going to run afoul of our noise ordinance.”
Whatever the intention behind the odd sounds is, it will remain a mystery since no one has come forward to publicly claim credit for the stunt. Reporters knocked on several doors in the neighborhood and found no one willing to fess up. Neighbors are as tired of the screaming as they have been of real fireworks in years past.
Fireworks are a contentious topic every summer in the U.S., and in 2020 they were especially prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, retailers are reporting a shortage of supplies in the pyrotechnic department, which may help stem the tide. Phantom Fireworks’ website has a helpful database listing the fireworks laws for each state.
