The captain of a Bronx boat that caught fire, injuring nearly two dozen passengers, admitted to cops he had a beer — and said the boat had an ongoing mechanical problem, according to the criminal complaint against him.
Joshua Brito, 33, was at the helm of a 44-foot cuddy cabin boat when it burst into flames around 8 p.m. Saturday near Hart Island, injuring 23 people as they frantically tried to escape the doomed vessel.
When cops arrived, they noted Brito had watery eyes and a breath that reeked of alcohol, according to court documents. He was arrested for operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol.
“I was driving the boat,” Brito told cops after his arrest. “I had one beer.”
Brito was operating the boat while under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol level at .05, just over the .04 limit, according to a chemical test analysis at Jacobi Medical Center, the criminal complaint against him says.
FDNY Marine Units responded to reports of a boat fire near City Island in the Bronx. (X/FDNY)
“I picked up the group, Brito told cops. “I had an issue with the boat two days ago. I disconnected the generator.”
Brito was released without bail after being arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court. He lives in , according to cops.
The boat occupants were all listed in stable condition, cops said, though firefighters said one was initially taken to Jacobi Medical Center with critical injuries.
FDNY officials said 20 of the victims needed to be hospitalized.
Images of the boat fire showed huge black clouds of smoke billowing from the location.
Personnel aboard FDNY Marine 4, which was patrolling the water until midnight, saw the fire and rushed to the scene, FDNY Assistant Chief Michale Meyers said — adding they “plucked three people out of the water,” and the rest swam to Hart Island.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation and the Coast Guard is looking into the incident, police said Sunday.