A man is facing felony charges after three people were injured, including a woman who was seriously hurt, after a firework explosion in Antioch Saturday evening.
At around 7:07 p.m. on Saturday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Antioch Fire Department, and Lake Villa Fire Protection District was dispatched to a home in the 21800 block of West North Avenue in Antioch Township for a report of a person injured by a firework. When sheriff’s deputies first arrived, they found a 30 year-old woman, of Woodstock, with a serious hand injury.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that a preliminary investigation showed that Justin R. Kennedy, 28, of the 1200 block of Blakely Street in Woodstock, brought a firework to the party. The firework was red, white, and blue, and approximately the size of a quarter-stick of dynamite, authorities said.
The victim picked up the firework, believing it to be a candle. She lit what she thought was the candle and held it in her hand. The firework then exploded causing serious injuries to her hand, the sheriff’s office said.
The woman was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for her injuries. A child and another adult sustained minor injuries from the blast. Both were treated by paramedics and released at the scene.
Lake County Sheriff’s detectives responded to the scene and then contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) about the incident.
Kennedy was arrested and charged with reckless conduct (class 4 felony) and endangering the life/health of a child (class A misdemeanor). Kennedy remains held at the Lake County Jail and was due in court Sunday morning for a bond hearing.