STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A New York City Parks Department employee who was arrested Tuesday after a gruesome fireworks incident in Dongan Hills was arraigned Wednesday in Criminal Court, St. George, on charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.
The defendant, Joshua Moe, 24, of Rosebank, was placed on supervised release after prosecutors laid out some of the alleged details surrounding the incident Tuesday at General Douglas MacArthur Park in Dongan Hills.
The defendant is accused of giving a lighter to a 10-year-old girl who then lit a firework — reportedly was an M-80— that exploded in her hand. Responding officers said the girl was missing parts of her fingers on her left hand and had a laceration on her right hand, according to a criminal complaint.
Defendant spoke to police after, prosecutors say
The defendant, who was listed in court documents Wednesday as Joshua Coppola Moe, allegedly told police afterward that he did not mean the girl any harm, the complaint continued.
“Yes, I gave her the lighter. I didn’t think this would have happened,” Moe allegedly stated. “She wanted the lighter to light the firework. I wanted to make them happy and have fun.”
Neighbors at the Barry Houses said the explosion occurred behind a small building at the park, after the girl found the firework on a nearby baseball field. Claire Hamlet
The girl’s mother also spoke to authorities afterward, according to the complaint.
At the arraignment hearing, Judge Matthew Santamauro issued a full order of protection on behalf of the girl at the request of prosecutors, who said the child and Moe were known to each other.
Moe, who has since been terminated by NYC Parks, pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorney declined to comment after the hearing.
Girl, 10, suffering from ‘severe burns,’ prosecutors say
Police said they received a 9-1-1 call at about 6:45 p.m. reporting a 10-year-old girl with a severe injury inside the park, which is located across from the Berry Homes.
Responding officers applied a tourniquet to the child’s hand before she was transported to Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, in stable condition.
Joshua Moe was arraigned Wednesday on charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child in Criminal Court in St. George on Aug. 12, 2026.(Advance/SILive.com)
At the arraignment, prosecutors said the child suffered severe burns to her fingers. According to ABC News, the girl may lose several fingers due to the injury.
Moe was arrested around 7:10 p.m. Tuesday while on duty, according to a statement from the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
Neighbors recount tragedy
Neighbors at the Berry Houses said Wednesday that the girl remained hospitalized.
They said the girl found the firework at a nearby baseball field and that the explosion occurred behind a small building on the park grounds.
The sign for the Berry Houses apartment complex in Dongan Hills is seen in this May 18, 2026 photo. (Advance/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)
Leo Cabrera, a resident at the Barry Houses, said his wife spoke with the girl by phone before she went into surgery. He said they were concerned for the girl moving forward and described the neighborhood as “a real tight-knit community.”