By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published September 14, 2025
ST. CLAIR SHORES — A boat explosion in a St. Clair Shores harbor sent its occupants flying, causing minor injuries and the death of a beloved pet.
Cmdr. Jason Abro from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department said shortly before 1 p.m. on Sept. 6, deputies were dispatched to the Emerald City Harbor in St. Clair Shores. They arrived to see multiple boat pieces in the water and worked quickly to make sure no harm came to the environment. Abro later said the vessel appeared to be charred from the fire and it was a challenge to remove the boat from the water. He said they received information that a boat had exploded prior to their arrival.
“Anything on the water we usually investigate or handle within our Marine Division,” Abro said.
Both the St. Clair Shores Police Department and the St. Clair Shores Fire Department arrived at the scene. A man and a woman were thrown from the boat as well as a dog. The man and woman suffered minor injuries and received medical attention on scene. The dog, according to a Facebook post from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department, was transported to an emergency vet and succumbed to its injuries.
Abro said surveillance video showed that the dock personnel did a phenomenal job.
“You can see one gentleman grabbing floating devices to throw them in the water,” Abro said. “So due to their efforts, they were removed from the water.”
The dock sustained minor damage from the explosion, and some debris shattered a window. Abro said the man on the boat seemed to take all the necessary measures and the boat did not have any prior issues. The boat was a 28-foot 1972 Crusader.
Abro said dock personnel said the owners purchased fuel. Abro also said it seems there was a struggle to get the boat started. It apparently took off and attempted to turn when the vessel exploded. Abro said he’s seen boats catch fire due to a mechanical issue, but this was a significant explosion.
“The force of the explosion ejected all parties that were on that vessel,” Abro said.
He went on to say the explosion was pretty powerful.
“You can kind of feel that explosion if you’re on scene, especially like the dock personnel on what they heard or saw visually as that boat exploded,” Abro said.
The investigation is still ongoing, but no foul play is expected.
“It could be some time to kind of piece this together to determine what may have occurred and I know there are investigators at our Marine Division (who) are still working very hard at it,” Abro said.
Abro said their thoughts are with the family with the loss of their beloved pet.
“And we send our condolences to them for that, but we will continue to look into the investigation and determine what may have caused this,” Abro said.
He said it was a tragic incident, and no one expected it to happen. They are thankful the owners were able to get out.
Councilman Dave Rubello said it’s very fortunate that no one got killed and as a boater himself, everyone has to remain on their toes when operating a vessel.
“And a day of fun and entertainment can turn into tragedy real quick in the boating community,” Rubello said.
He also said to take the time to properly ventilate your boat.