What to Know
- Two people, one of whom was a child, died after more than a dozen people were pulled from the Hudson River when the private boat they were on capsized, according to police.
- First responders received calls reporting people in the water shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
- According to police, a 7-year-old child and 48-year-old woman were unable to get out from underneath the boat. Both were taken to local hospitals in critical condition, and later died
A woman and a 7-year-old boy died after the private boat they chartered with a group of others capsized in the Hudson River off midtown Manhattan, sending all 12 people aboard into the water, police said.
The victims became trapped beneath the boat after it flipped around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday near Pier 86, in front of the USS Intrepid, the docked aircraft carrier and museum, officials said at a later press conference.
Nearby ferries rushed to the scene to help police and fire department rescuers get people out of the choppy waters. Three people were critically injured, including the captain of the 18-foot vessel, which had been chartered out of New Jersey by a group of family and friends.
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The owner of the boat was following behind on a jet ski, authorities said, and rushed to call for help from ferries at the nearby NY Waterway terminal after seeing the boat flip over. Two ferries came to the aid of the people in the water, who were left clinging to the capsized craft, the hull seen still bobbing in the river.
In all, 13 people were pulled from the water, including the man on the jet ski. The 7-year-old boy and the 48-year-old woman were trapped under the boat, unable to get out. They were rushed to local hospitals in critical condition after dive crews from the NYPD and FDNY were able to finally reach them, but were later pronounced dead.
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The names of the boy and woman who died were not released.
The 11 others were injured, with the captain of the boat in critical condition, according to authorities. The extent of the other injuries was not immediately known. They were ushered away still in their bathing suits, heartbroken by the losses.
“Our hearts go out to a group of people who were just using the water in our city,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conference. “This is a devastating moment for them and those who were part of the families that were there...The water is an enjoyable part of New York, but it can be a dangerous place."
What caused the boat to capsize is under investigation, said Inspector Anthony Russo, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s Harbor Unit. Investigators planned to look at the water conditions and the boat's capacity to determine what went wrong on the river, where boat wakes and currents pose constant challenges.
Authorities said they are looking to see whether the boat was overloaded with passengers, and if weather played a role during the windy day.
“There's a lot of commercial and recreational traffic during the day here. We also have a lot of people on Jet Skis, kayaks,” Russo said. "The Hudson River is always a dangerous place to operate."
NY Waterway said that all its routes have resumed normal service.
