Exclusive video shows 2 boats collide on the East River
Exclusive video shows 2 boats collide on the East River
02:06
New video exclusively obtained by CBS News New York shows the moment two boats collided on the East River on Sunday.
Officials say seven people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The investigation is ongoing, but so far, no arrests have been made.
What the video shows
According to the NYPD, at around 2 p.m. on Sunday a private vessel identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as the “Let’s Live II” collided with the “Cabana” party boat while traveling east. The private vessel then fled the scene.
Surveillance cameras captured the moment the Let’s Live II appears to veer off course and crash into the Cabana. A photo captured the instant a window appears to explode on the main deck of the party boat as the vessels collide.
The Coast Guard, who is leading the investigation, said it later made contact with the owner of Let’s Live II, who claimed the boat was on autopilot at the time of the crash.
The manager of the Cabana said an estimated 300 people were onboard.
“They were lucky”
Jonathon Horvath, a boating expert with Atlantic Yachting, has dedicated 16 years of his life to running charters and teaching sailing.
“One of the main rules is that you have to maintain control of your vessel at all times,” Horvath said. “They were lucky. This is the best-case scenario for something like this. This could have been a lot worse.”
Horvath went on to say about the video, “[The private vessel] ran around but that’s after the collision, so it didn’t look like anybody was at the helm,” adding, “It would be imprudent at best to leave the helm in a heavily-trafficked high-current waterway like the East River, especially on a holiday weekend when boat traffic is higher than ever.”
More from CBS News