A backyard Fourth of July celebration in Buena Park turned into a fatal nightmare last year, and now a local man is facing serious prison time for the tragedy. Earl Decastro, 47, has been officially charged with a felony count of involuntary manslaughter following the death of 8-year-old Jasmine Nguyen on July 4, 2025.
Charges and Investigation
Along with manslaughter, prosecutors are charging him with recklessly setting a fire that caused great bodily injury and the illegal possession of more than 100 pounds of dangerous fireworks. If convicted on all counts, Decastro faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison.
According to court details, Jasmine was attending the holiday party at Decastro’s home with her mother and 7-year-old sister. Authorities state that Decastro had purchased a mix of legal and illegal fireworks for the gathering, including a massive $400 firework “cake” sourced from an unlicensed seller.
The particular item contained professional-grade explosives, which legally require a specialized permit or license to purchase, store, transport, or detonate. Witnesses and investigators say Decastro spent over an hour lighting fireworks in the street before setting off the $400 cake as his grand finale.
Within seconds of being lit, the device malfunctioned. Instead of shooting safely upward, it began firing aerial mortar shells directly into the driveway where the party guests were gathered. Jasmine and her family were sitting near a covered table that held a stack of additional, unspent fireworks when the mortars hit the crowd.
While the other guests managed to run inside Decastro’s house for cover, the unspent fireworks on the table caught fire and exploded directly next to Jasmine before she could escape. Buena Park police officers arrived on the scene immediately and attempted to resuscitate the young girl.
Their efforts were unsuccessful, and Jasmine was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the UCI Medical Center due to multiple internal blast injuries. The case is currently being prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Mallory Miller of the Homicide Unit.
Statement from the District Attorney
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement emphasizing the legal weight of the charges, stating, “There is nothing accidental about buying and lighting illegal fireworks. An eight-year-old little girl is dead and the man who killed her is going to be held responsible.
A few seconds of fun is not worth a lifetime of trauma and the loss of a beautiful little girl who never had the chance to grow up. Actions have consequences, and I would hope that anyone thinking of lighting illegal fireworks this holiday would think of little Jasmine’s face first and choose instead to celebrate safely.”
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
