Woodbridge police say that they are cracking down on illegal fireworks after responding to 156 noise complaints over the July 4th holiday weekend.

“In the last couple of years, it seems to have gotten worse,” says Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac.

The mayor says that it is important to be proactive.

“I saw a story in the Midwest where someone’s son died in their arms because they got hit in the head with a firework. This can happen anywhere,” McCormac says.

No fireworks injuries were reported over the holiday, but officials say that there was some damage.

“One garage was burned to the ground. Another garbage pile was burned to the ground. Either one of those could have easily been a house,” the mayor says.

Former Gov. Chris Christie legalized some fireworks in New Jersey during his term. But not all fireworks are legal to use.

“There’s a whole description on our website. Basically, anything that doesn’t go more than five feet off the ground is legal,” McCormac says.

The mayor says that more than anything else, this is a quality-of-life issue.

“There’s people trying to sleep, veterans with PTSD, babies and kids, animals,” he says.

McCormac says that Woodbridge puts on its own fireworks display every year.

“It’s one of the best around. People can come to that, but they cannot light off illegal fireworks in their neighborhood,” he says.