Teen accused of assault after throwing firework at mother and daughter, police say

SOUTH JORDAN — A teenage boy is accused of assaulting two people in a South Jordan neighborhood after a group of teens allegedly threw a firework at a mother and daughter, police said.

In a probable cause statement for the 17-year-old boy, the South Jordan Police Department said the incident took place on September 27, 2024 at approximately 11:00 p.m. Police responded to a home after a man called saying “a group of boys had thrown an explosive device at his wife and daughter.”

That man’s wife told police she was outside their home talking to her daughter when they saw sparks flying through the air. The two went to see what it was, then the device exploded in their faces, police said. The two victims “were probably about three to four feet away,” when the firework exploded, hitting them both with sparks. Neither of the victims needed to get medical attention, but the mother said her ears were ringing for a week after, according to police.

Later, a juvenile family member of the victims told police she received messages from three teenagers “bragging that they were the ones who had done that,” the statement said. The family member said the three were laughing when they found out the firework actually hit the victims.

The accused 17-year-old’s mom also brought him back to the victims’ house, police said, apparently to let them know that he was the one who did it.

Officers met with the boy who allegedly threw the firework, and he told them he got it from somebody at a Copper Hills High School football game. The boy said they ran because the firework turned out to be bigger than they thought. The 17-year-old is not in custody, but is accused of two misdemeanor counts of assault and a felony count of possession of explosive parts.

It was not immediately clear if any of the other juveniles were facing charges.