VIDEO: An explosion Saturday morning aboard a sewage boat docked on New York City’s Hudson River killed one city worker and injured two others, officials said. Three Department of Environmental Protection employees were working on the vessel docked at the North River Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in West Harlem when the explosion occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, New York City Fire Department Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms told reporters.
Video captured heavy black smoke billowing into the air.ย DEP employee Raymond Feige was pronounced dead at the scene of the explosion, which occurred near 135th Street in Upper Manhattan. Two other employees were taken to area hospitals. There conditions were not provided. “Upon arrival, units discovered a large explosion had occurred in one of the holds on the tank,” Simms said. “This vessel transports raw sewage from New York City to the sewage treatment plant.”
The deceased victim “was blown by the force of the explosion in between the pier and the vessel, itself,” Simms disclosed.ย One person who was driving in the area told CBS News New York he felt the ground shake. “I smell something and I am not knowing exactly what it is and then next thing you know, boom,” David Simon said. “I’m thinking something just hit the floor because trucks drop their load and cause vibration throughout the park. As I get closer up here, I’m hearing there is an explosion to a boat.”
Simms said the cause of the explosion is under investigation. The U.S. Coast Guard wrote on X that the “incident” was “reportedly linked to hot work aboard a docked boat.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that, “At this time, there is no suspicion of criminality and no impact on the facility.”
