Freak raw sewage boat explosion on Hudson River kills city worker
By Chris Harris, Tina Moore and Joe Marino
Published May 24, 2025
Updated May 24, 2025, 5:33 p.m. ET
171 Comments
One man dead, two injured after boat carrying raw sewage explodes on the Hudson River
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A 59-year-old city worker was reported dead and two others were injured Saturday when a boat carrying raw sewage exploded on the Hudson River near West 138th Street.
NYPD received a 911 call about a person in the water at about 10:30 a.m., and responded to the scene along with the FDNY, according to police.
Just before 11:00 a.m., FDNY responded to a small methane explosion on a barge boat in the Hudson River, with one reported fatality and two additional injuries. Investigation is ongoing for incident on the Hudson near Hudson River & W 138th St in NYC.
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Just before 11:00 a.m., FDNY responded to an explosion on a boat carrying raw sewage in the Hudson River.
Kevin RC Wilson /FreedomNewsTV
Emergency services searching the Hudson River near West 136th Street for a worker reported fallen overboard from a vessel.
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An unidentified 59-year-old man was reported dead this Saturday after a boating mishap on the Hudson River near West 138th Street.
Robert Miller
Officials arrived at the scene to find a large explosion had ripped through the ship’s hull.
The blast forced a New York City Department of Environmental Protection worker into the water, where he became trapped between the vessel and the pier and died.
Two other DEP employees who were working on the vessel were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. One of the injured refused treatment.
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Scene of a barge accident with one person doa, and others injured.
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The scene of the barge accident.
Tomas E. Gaston
Their conditions were not immediately known.
The boat, which was docked at the time of the explosion, was carrying raw sewage from the city to a nearby treatment facility, law enforcement sources said.
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The blast injured two people who were working on the vessel, according to reports.
Water rescue searched the waters after the explosion when reports of a worker who fell into the water between the vessel and the dock.
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Water rescue searched the waters after the explosion when reports of a worker who fell into the water between the vessel and the dock.
Robert Miller
Investigative sources said a welding operation unfolding near the boat could be to blame for Saturday’s blast.
They further noted that raw sewage is a significant source of highly flammable methane gas.
Scene of a barge accident with one person doa, and others injured, first responders
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Those injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
TOMAS E. GASTON
FDNY officials said it was too early in their investigation to determine if the explosion was accidental.
The NYPD’s Harbor Unit, Emergency Service Unit, and Aviation Units responded to the scene, along with officials from the DEP, the Office of Emergency Management, and the FDNY.
Medical examiners were also summoned to the scene Saturday.
In a statement, the DEP said the worker who died had 33 years on the job.
“The entire DEP family is grieving today,” said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala in a statement. “Our employee who lost his life … was a valued and experienced member of the Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, and his decades of service reflect his commitment to DEP’s mission.”
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