New York Ferry Bursts Into Flames, 37 People Rescued: 'It Was So Scary'

More than two dozen people were rescued from the ferry they were traveling on, which caught fire on Tuesday, August 27 in New Jersey.

In a video circulating on social media, passengers can be seen jumping from a smoky New York Waterway public ferry to another boat as rescuers quickly try to help them to safety.

According to the Associated Press and SWNS, 37 people were rescued after the ferry caught fire on the Hudson River shortly before 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

PEOPLE reached out to the New York Waterway and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but did not immediately hear back.

According to the media, a witness who happened to be on a nearby boat said that he saw flames and that the ferry began to “shake”.

ferry — picture.

Getty

An unidentified person sailed closer to the ship to assess the situation when another ship helped the passengers to safety. The evacuation reportedly lasted about 10 minutes, and the ferry that caught fire was towed away.

Five people injured and nearly 700 passengers evacuated after a fire broke out on the Staten Island ferry

“I was on a boat with a few colleagues who were cruising the river. I saw smoke coming out of the boat – it was so scary,” said another passerby who filmed the scene. “The water was very rough and there were a lot of boats passing which made the situation worse.”

Cary Broder, who takes the ferry to save an hour on his commute, told New York’s Pix 11 that he was on board when the fire broke out.

Staten Island Ferry.

Getty

“I looked behind me and saw orange flames coming out of the back of the ship,” he told the news station. “Fortunately, everyone really stayed calm. Like, people were obviously scared.”

Broder added, “I was actually pretty sure we were going to have to jump into the river.”

Despite the incident, he said he will continue to use the NY Waterway ferry in the future.

Ship captain found guilty of manslaughter in California fire that killed 34 people

“I was a little panicked, you know, and there was a bunch of people gathered there. I was just trying to get off the boat and then I realized later that my bike was still there,” said Broder.

There were no reports of injuries, and it was not immediately clear how the fire started, reports ABC 7 NY.

The ferry was on the Paulus Hook to Pier 11 route and was heading to Paulus Hook and Liberty Harbor in New Jersey at the time of the incident, NBC New York reports. The newspaper adds that the investigation is ongoing.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education