{"id":3333,"date":"2026-06-29T19:09:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3333"},"modified":"2026-06-29T19:09:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:09:28","slug":"july-4th-fireworks-killed-her-8-year-old-daughter-but-california-mom-says-im-not-pushing-for-any-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3333","title":{"rendered":"July 4th fireworks killed her 8-year-old daughter. But California mom says, \u2018I\u2019m not pushing for any charges\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>Last Fourth of July, 8-year-old Jasmine Nguyen was killed in a fireworks explosion at a Buena Park neighborhood celebration.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3331\">Court advances murder retrial for Sierra LaMar disappearance<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nearly a year later, the homeowner who was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter has not been charged \u2014 and Jasmine\u2019s mother says she doesn\u2019t want him to be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not pushing for any charges,\u201d Haley Nguyen said in an interview Wednesday, June 24. \u201cIt really was an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Orange County district attorney\u2019s office said this past week that the case remains under review for potential homicide charges. The homeowner, Earl Decastro, could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Nguyen, her two daughters and her mother had attended a barbecue earlier in the day before deciding to continue the celebrations at a party hosted by a friend of a friend on Cornflower Circle in Buena Park. It was around 9:30 p.m. when the fireworks were lit.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities allege Decastro had placed a display of illegal fireworks in the street. Investigators say the display malfunctioned and began firing toward the home, igniting additional illegal fireworks near where Jasmine and other partygoers were gathered in the driveway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt happened so quick. A fun day of friends turns into a nightmare,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cSome people were bleeding through their shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her mother was also struck by the fireworks but recovered.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Several hours after Jasmine was rushed to the emergency room, Nguyen learned her daughter died from internal bleeding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t expect that she would be gone,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t do anything. I sat for months.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3329\">World Cup match brings soon-to-be classmates together in San Jose<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t hug her or hear her voice,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot quieter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jasmine was a joyous, energetic girl. She was well known to customers at Greatea, the boba shop Nguyen opened when Jasmine was 4 years old. Nguyen closed the shop weeks after Jasmine\u2019s death, shortly before what would have been the girl\u2019s ninth birthday.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jasmine was also part of the dance group 3\u00e2m, which shared a video tribute celebrating her life, filled with clips of Jasmine smiling, laughing and dancing.<\/p>\n<div><video>https:\/\/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Our-Little-Jasmine.mp4<\/video><\/div>\n<p>The holidays and the approaching first anniversary of Jasmine\u2019s death have been especially difficult for Nguyen and Jasmine\u2019s younger sister, who was only a year younger and loved wearing matching outfits with her.<\/p>\n<p>Nguyen and her younger daughter live in Anaheim, just across the street from Disneyland, which she said has caused issues in the wake of Jasmine\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fireworks every night \u2026 it\u2019s a little traumatizing,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cBefore, we loved fireworks. Now I have to wait for them to be done to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nguyen said she often watches videos that Jasmine posted to her YouTube account so she can hear her daughter\u2019s voice again, and she seeks comfort in memories.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to bring her memories with us and move on slowly,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to find strength.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3327\">Harry Styles collapse at London concert caused by choking, not heat<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Orange County District Attorney&#8217;s Office said this week that the case remains under review for potential homicide charges. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>July 4th fireworks killed her 8-year-old daughter. 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