A boat captain faces criminal charges after his vessel exploded in flames near Hart Island in the Bronx, forcing 23 passengers to jump into the water and swim for their lives. Joshua Brito, 33, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless endangerment following the incident that occurred around 8 p.m. on June 7, 2025.
The 35-foot Carver yacht burst into flames while in the Long Island Sound near the east end of Hart Island, sending passengers scrambling into the water to escape the blaze. The Coast Guard identified the vessel as a 44-foot powerboat with an enclosed cabin, though sources indicate it was overcrowded well beyond its safe capacity of eight to 15 passengers.
Marine 4, a New York City Fire Department vessel conducting routine patrol in the area due to warm weather conditions, spotted the fire and immediately responded to the scene. Fire department personnel pulled three people directly from the water, while the remaining 19 passengers managed to swim to nearby Hart Island where they awaited rescue.
FDNY Assistant Chief Michael Meyers described the coordinated rescue operation that followed. Marine units transported the three water rescues to nearby docks where Engine 70 and emergency medical services were waiting to begin CPR on victims. The 19 passengers who reached Hart Island were subsequently picked up by NYPD Coast Guard and FDNY boats and transported to the Yacht Club docks on City Island for medical evaluation.
All 23 people aboard the vessel sustained injuries during the incident. Twenty-two passengers suffered minor injuries, while one person was initially listed in critical condition but later stabilized. The injured ranged in age from 17 to 58 years old, with some sources indicating ages between 18 and 58. Fourteen passengers were transported to Jacobi Medical Center, while nine were taken to Montefiore Medical Center.
One 46-year-old man remained in the intensive care unit at one hospital as of Sunday, according to a relative who spoke with media. Fire officials reported that 20 of the victims required hospitalization, though all patients were ultimately listed in stable condition.
The incident occurred when the doomed vessel was reportedly one of several boats tied together in the waters between the Bronx and Westchester County. Sources indicate an explosion preceded the fire that consumed the yacht, though the exact cause remains under investigation by authorities and the Coast Guard.
Meyers noted that Marine 4 had observed the vessel earlier in the evening and remarked on the large number of passengers aboard. “The boat in order to fit that many people on it had to be a pretty decent size boat,” he stated at the scene Saturday night.
Video footage of the incident showed thick black smoke billowing from the vessel as flames consumed the rear portion of the boat. Additional footage captured passengers, many wearing white clothing and apparently attending a party, screaming and running toward the front of the vessel as fire spread behind them.
Brito, a Bronx resident from the Bedford Park neighborhood, was taken into custody and awaited arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court on Sunday. Images from the arrest showed the 33-year-old captain in shorts and a black t-shirt being handcuffed and escorted to a police vehicle.
The rescue operation highlighted the complexity of marine emergency response, requiring coordination between multiple agencies, including the FDNY, NYPD, Coast Guard, and emergency medical services. Assistant Chief Meyers emphasized the collaborative effort needed to transport patients from water to land while coordinating marine and land units.
The NYPD confirmed that both the cause of the blaze and the circumstances surrounding the overcrowding remain under active investigation. The Coast Guard is also conducting its own probe into the incident as part of standard maritime safety protocols.