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Pennsauken man arrested for boating under the influence after crashing into a Schuylkill River bridge

Nine passengers were aboard the boat, including two infants.

Wave runners play in the Schuylkill river near Walnut Street at dusk, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. A boater was arrested and charged with boating under the influence after crashing into the substructure of the 34th Street Bridge on Saturday, July 15.
Wave runners play in the Schuylkill river near Walnut Street at dusk, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. A boater was arrested and charged with boating under the influence after crashing into the substructure of the 34th Street Bridge on Saturday, July 15.Read moreSteven M. Falk / Staff Photographer

Philadelphia police charged a 29-year-old man from Pennsauken, N.J., with boating under the influence, assault, and reckless endangerment this weekend after the boat he was driving crashed into the 34th Street Bridge in Grays Ferry.

Nine passengers, including the driver and two infants, were aboard; no life-threatening injuries were reported.

According to the police report, police received information about the crash around 7:10 p.m. on Saturday night. When police arrived, they observed the boat had hit the 34th Street Bridge’s substructure. Fire department personnel and the police’s marine unit removed the driver as well as eight others, including two 1-year-old boys, from the boat.

One boy was transported to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for evaluation, while the other was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital with a nosebleed. A 27-year-old passenger also went to Jefferson with back injuries. Two passengers in their 30s were taken to Penn Presbyterian, one with head injuries and the other with injuries to their ankle and back. A 23-year-old passenger was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with back injuries. Two passengers in their 20s were uninjured, police reported.