The man who planned the Big Bay Boom breathed a sigh of relief Thursday night.
Auggie Santore, the man shouldering the blame for 2012 fireworks mishap, was watching the night sky fervently on Independence Day hoping that his elaborate display would light up.
And he wasn’t the only one looking above.
Thousands of people were anticipating the show after last year’s epic fail. With Santore calling the shots, everyone was depending on him to make sure the show went on without a “freak glitch.”
Not only would it be embarrassing if the show failed two years in a row, but also Garden State Fireworks would be brutally criticized should a second mishap occur.
With the weight of the company on his shoulders, Santore was extra careful in the days leading up to July 4. He, along with so many others, just wanted to watch a Big Bay Boom.
Thursday night finally rolled around, marking the one-year anniversary of the Big Bay Bust. Santore made his final preparations, and then went to a nearby rooftop to watch.
At first, it seemed as though the show was delayed. The crowd got antsy. Minutes ticked by, and still the sky remained black.
But at 9:05 p.m., Santore hit the magic button to start the show and fireworks boomed across the bay.
”And the crowd goes wild!” he screamed.
For the next 18 minutes and 30 seconds, sparkles shot across the sky. More than 500,000 people witnessed the splendor -- all a result of Santore’s hard work.
“This is special, this is personal, a lot of people questioned what our ability or skill may have been, and I’ve never questioned our ability or skill at all,” Santore said. “We are very prepared, we were very prepared tonight and it was phenomenal.”
