An explosion aboard a sewage tanker near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Upper Manhattan has resulted in the death of a long-serving Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) worker, with two additional employees injured in the blast, officials reported yesterday. The incident happened at around 10:30 a.m. close to the facility located off of 138th Street in Harlem, sending shockwaves through the local community.
Amid the early hours of operations, the violent rupture claimed the life of a DEP veteran whose service spanned over three decades, "Our employee who lost his life had served the Department and the City with dedication for 33 years," DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said in a statement obtained by Gothamist, "He was a valued and experienced member of the Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, and his decades of service reflect his commitment to DEP’s mission." The nature of the explosion is still under investigation, though there is no immediate suspicion of criminal activity and Mayor Eric Adams assured the public of his administration's commitment to safety and the well-being of city workers in his devastated reaction to the tragedy.
Witnesses near the scene described the sudden commotion; one bystander, David Simon, expressed his alarming encounter, "I smell something and I am not knowing exactly what it is and then next thing you know, boom," he told CBS News New York. The impact of the explosion was forceful enough to throw one of the victims in between the pier and the vessel, an accident that lead to his unfortunate death, said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms during a press conference.
Authorities including the U.S. Coast Guard have overseen the response to the incident and reassured the public about environmental concerns, confirming no pollution has been reported in the Hudson following the explosion and describing the "situation as stable," according to a social media post shared by the Coast Guard as per CBS News New York.
