Last week, residents in the Bronx and parts of Westchester were rattled by a powerful explosion that stemmed from "high grade professional fireworks, very strong fireworks" set off in a garbage pail. And there's GOOD NEWS: It turns out that those fireworks might not be secret Red Army missiles timed to ring in the resurrection of the Cold War with Comandante de Blasio's regime, but were likely just the work of some local pyros pre-gaming former "Sopranos" actor Lillo Brancato’s upcoming release from prison. Actors, they demand so much attention.

"Police sources informed the Post that the explosion—which shattered windows, blew a hole in a baseball diamond and could be heard as far away as New Jersey—stemmed from a bunch of commercial-grade fireworks set off by a bunch of unknown Brancato fans. "We’re looking at the young guys in the neighborhood, the Mafia wannabe types," a law enforcement source told the tabloid. "They were marking Brancato’s impending release from prison."

Brancato, who had a bit part as mobster Matt Bevilaqua on the dearly-departed HBO series (in addition to roles in films like "A Bronx Tale" and "Enemy of the State"), was sentenced to ten years in 2009 for a botched burglary that left an off-duty officer dead in 2005. He was released early on December 31st, one day after the celebratory firework mushroom cloud went down.

