Orange County man fined $300,000 for lighting illegal fireworks on Fourth of July

An Orange County man is trying to fight a massive fine that he faces after allegedly lighting off a series of illegal fireworks outside of his home on the Fourth of July. 

Jose Fernandez appeared in court on Wednesday, where he was scheduled to appear due to a $300,000 fine from the city of Stanton for the series of fireworks that they say he set off outside of his home nearly four months ago. 

He says that the fine is excessive and that he can barely afford to pay for his mortgage, especially after recently remodeling his home. 

"How do they expect you to pay?" Fernandez said. "This is ridiculous. There is nothing I can do, I can't afford nothing."

Stanton city officials used drone video from the Fourth of July as evidence to issue citations to 18 different homeowners, totaling nearly a million dollars. Fernandez, who received the largest fine, says he had nothing to do with the fireworks at all. 

"I was in my backyard, I was watching my sports," he claimed while speaking with CBS LA. "I say I don't have nothing to do with it."

Fernandez's citation says that he was charged $1,000 for each discharged firework. It says that 300 fireworks were lit outside of his home that night, leading to the massive fine. 

Stanton Mayor David Shawver said that homeowners had fair warning ahead of the holiday that they would be liable for illegal activity on their properties. 

"In that particular area, you'd be tripping over the signs that say you're going to be fined for an illegal activity," Shawver said. "Also, we did mail to all of those addresses of the property owners, especially where we've had a lot of illegal activity in the past."

Fernandez said that he's not sure who is responsible for the fireworks that happened outside of his house, and he's hopeful to get the fine reduced at the least. Once the court has the results of his appeal, the decision will fall to the city council to determine what fine he has to pay.