Cops: Port Jefferson Station Store Owner Charged with Illegally Selling Fireworks from Backroom of Card Smart

LONG ISLAND, NY – Suffolk County Police today arrested three people for illegally selling fireworks at a Port Jefferson Station store.

An anonymous tip led to the discovery of approximately 65 boxes of fireworks on display and in the backroom of Card Smart, located at 1051 Route 112. Sixth Precinct officers responded to the location and found fireworks openly displayed for sale in the front of the store with price tags. Some of the names of the fireworks included Saturn Missiles, Splendid Flower, Big Bad Bucket, Anaconda, and Tornado Alley.

The owner of the store, Ketan Shah, 46, of Hicksville, and two employees were charged with Unlawfully Dealing with Fireworks and Dangerous Fireworks, a Class A Misdemeanor.

The owner of the store, Ketan Shah, 46, of Hicksville, and two employees, Vijaykumar Patel, 30, of Elmhurst, and Nancy Sapienza, 65, of Ridge, were charged with Unlawfully Dealing with Fireworks and Dangerous Fireworks, a Class A Misdemeanor. Patel and Sapienza were issued a Field Appearance Ticket and Shah is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on June 28.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.