Captain arrested for driving while intoxicated after New York boat fire injures 22
Image courtesy of FDNY.
Over 20 people were forced to jump into cold waters after the boat they were on burst into flames in the Long Island Sound near City Island, Bronx, on Saturday night (8 June 2025).
The incident prompted a large emergency response and resulted in multiple injuries. Now, the vessel’s captain, Joshua Brito, 33, of the Bronx, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless endangerment, according to the NYPD.
The incident occurred around 8.30pm local time, near the east end of Hart Island. Marine 4, an FDNY vessel on routine patrol, spotted the blaze and began rescue operations. Officials said three individuals were pulled from the water by marine units, while 19 others swam to Hart Island before being transported to City Island for evaluation. The US Coast Guard and NYPD also responded, ferrying those stranded back to shore.
Shocking footage of the incident shows chaos unfolding rapidly as frightened passengers scramble away from the flames, and large plumes of dark smoke rising from the scene.
“The boat, in order to fit that many people on it, had to be a pretty decent size boat,” FDNY Assistant Chief Mike Meyers told WABC-TV from the scene. “Marine 4 did notice them earlier in the evening, and they said there were a lot of people on that boat.”
He added: “We have to get those patients from the water or the boat onto the land and coordinate the land units and EMS units as to where the marine boats are going to be bringing them, so it’s an incredibly complex operation.”
The FDNY confirmed 22 people suffered minor injuries. One person is in critical condition, another is in serious condition, and a third is in stable condition. The ages of the passengers ranged from 17 or 18 to 58, according to officials.
According to the Coast Guard, the vessel was a 44ft powerboat with an enclosed cabin. Several media reports identify it as a Carver 35 yacht, a model typically designed to carry between eight and 15 passengers. Law enforcement sources noted that the boat was one of several rafted together when the fire broke out.
On Saturday night, FDNY Marine Units responded to reports of a boat fire near City Island in the Bronx. There were 22 people on the boat.
— FDNY (@FDNY) June 8, 2025
“Marine 4 gave a verbal for a boat fire and multiple people in the water to the Bronx dispatcher. At that point, the Bronx dispatcher had… pic.twitter.com/uFNEltxK0g
New Citizen app video and other social media clips showed passengers attempting to move away from the fire as smoke billowed into the sky. One witness told the New York Post: “The only thing I saw was a bunch of smoke while walking down the block. It was very thick, heavy black smoke.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been officially determined, though sources told the New York Post that an explosion aboard the vessel may have triggered the blaze. Brito’s arraignment was pending in Bronx Criminal Court on Sunday.
