10 arrested in Honolulu New Year’s Eve Fireworks Explosion

On February 5, 2025By Littum

More arrests have been made in the deadly fireworks that hurt more than 20 and killed five in Honolulu, Hawaii on New Year’s Eve.

The explosion took place around midnight during a New Year’s celebration in Alimanu (also known as Salt Lake), when people who attended a party lit a fireworks “cake” containing about 50 individual airfires tilting, shooting into two other boxes Also filled with cake fireworks, according to the Honolulu police.

The subsequent explosion injured several, killed some and damaged property and vehicles nearby. Two women were declared dead on stage while another woman, a child and a man later died in the hospital.

The five dead were identified by the Honolulu Mayor’s Office and Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office as 61-year-old Carmelita Benigno, 58-year-old Nelie Ibarra, 23-year-old Jennifer Van, 3-year-old Cassius Ramos-Benno and 29-year-old Kevin Vallesteros.

In total, 23 adults and three minors were seriously or critically wounded and transported to local hospitals. Authorities estimated fireworks that were recovered on stage to cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Examination of explosion of fireworks

The police investigation of the case has stretched more than three weeks and included the review of surveillance recordings, digital evidence and interviews with more than 20 witnesses. Two arrests were made on January 24, four more on January 29 and four more on January 31st. Everyone has since been released from custody.

The investigation is ongoing from the latest update on February 1st, and the cases whether the already arrested will be sent to the district attorney’s office, the Honolulu authorities said.

Five young people who were transported to Arizona Burn Center – Valleywise Health in Phoenix in critical condition shortly after the explosion is back in medically induced comas and faced a long way to improvement ahead, the center’s director Dr. Kevin Foster former Arizona Republic, part of the US Today Network.

Further arrests bring total up to 10

The first arrests related to the deadly incident were announced on January 24, when the Honolulu Police Department Sent on social media That they had arrested a man and woman on charges of reckless danger, threatening a minor and more fireworks violations in danger.

The couple was accused of igniting illegal fireworks and letting their three children aged 15, 10 and 1 also light the fireworks. According to police bulletins, the couple were arrested on January 24 and then released pending further investigation the following day.

The new arrests that shared a Saturday Update From the department began on January 29, when two couples, a 35-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man and 29-year-old woman, were also arrested on prosecutors of reckless danger in danger A minor and more fireworks law offenses in danger.

All four were residents of the Keaka Street home where the explosion took place. The first couple had four underage children present at the event, all of which were wounded but treated at a nearby hospital and were released. The second couple had two minor children with those who were not injured.

All four were released the same day pending further investigations.

Then, on January 31, two more adult couples who also had children present at the party were arrested. A 32-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman who allegedly turned on illegal fireworks with their children aged 11 and 9 were arrested on the same charges of reckless danger that jeopardizing the welfare of a minor-year-old. The children became undamaged.

Another 29-year-old man was arrested for jeopardizing a minor and fireworks law offenses with a 28-year-old woman accused of jeopardizing a minor’s welfare. The couple allegedly ignited fireworks with their one year old child at the event.

These four were also released the day after pending further studies. The department refused to give further comments on the arrests.

Contributing: Claire Thornton, Thao Nguyen, Lauren de Young, USA Today; Marcus Reichley, Perry Vandell, Arizona Republic