In 2012, a show presented by Garden State Fireworks went awry. On Wednesday, July 4, 2012, 7,000 fireworks,[1] intended for a 17-minute display, discharged prematurely and simultaneously from all four barges and the pier.[10] The entire cache exploded in less than a minute.[11]
The coordinated fireworks are triggered by computer, and the premature discharge was blamed on a corrupted computer file.[12] There were no injuries;[13] workers on the barges took refuge in metal shelters designed for their protection.[1] Garden State Fireworks apologized and promised to do a future show for free. The accident went viral on the internet.
I always laugh about the guy that said he hadn’t seen anything like since ‘nam.