MTA Vehicle Explodes Near Charging Bull

A vehicle that appeared to be affiliated with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority caught fire and then exploded near the Charging Bull statue in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, May 19, according to ABC7 New York and the Fire Department of New York. FDNY said police and firefighters responded near Broadway and Stone Street at about 5:45 p.m. Videos from the scene showed thick black smoke rising over the Financial District before the vehicle erupted in a fireball. FDNY said firefighters extinguished the flames shortly before 7 p.m., and no injuries were reported. ### Where exactly did the vehicle catch fire? Broadway and Stone Street was the location cited by FDNY in ABC7’s report on the response. That intersection is in Lower Manhattan’s Financial District, a short walk from the Charging Bull sculpture, one of the area’s busiest tourist landmarks. The Charging Bull reference matters because the statue draws heavy foot traffic throughout the day, and videos circulating after the fire showed pedestrians and bystanders gathered nearby as smoke spread across the street. (abc7ny.com) ABC7 reported that the vehicle was parked on the side of the road before it was quickly consumed by flames. ### What do authorities say happened? FDNY said crews were called to a car fire around 5:45 p.m. on May 19. ABC7 reported that the vehicle then exploded as onlookers waited for firefighters to arrive, based on video from the scene. No injuries were reported, according to FDNY. Firefighters brought the blaze under control shortly before 7 p.m., ending the immediate emergency in one of Manhattan’s most heavily trafficked areas during the evening rush. (abc7ny.com) ### Was it an MTA vehicle? ABC7 described the vehicle as one that “appeared to be MTA-affiliated.” Publicly available MTA information shows the agency operates mobile sales buses and vans for fare and OMNY-related customer service, though the agency page reviewed did not identify the specific vehicle involved in the Lower Manhattan fire. (abc7ny.com) That distinction is important because the available reporting reviewed here stops short of a formal MTA identification of the burned vehicle. In the absence of a public incident statement from the MTA in the material reviewed, the clearest verified description is that the vehicle appeared to be affiliated with the transit agency. (abc7ny.com) ### Do officials know what caused the blaze? The cause of the fire remains under investigation, ABC7 reported, citing FDNY information from the scene. No public explanation for the initial fire or the later explosion was included in the reports reviewed. NYC guidance says members of the public can request FDNY fire incident and investigation records through NYC311. (abc7ny.com) The city says Fire Incident Reports and, in some cases, Fire Marshal Investigation Reports are available through that process. ### What happens next? NYC311 says FDNY incident records are available by request, which is one route for obtaining official documentation after a fire response. (abc7ny.com) The city also says Fire Marshal Investigation Reports are typically used for complex, fatal or suspicious fires, though it does not say in the general guidance whether this incident will receive that level of review. (portal.311.nyc.gov) As of the material reviewed on May 21, 2026, the next concrete step is the continuing investigation into the cause of the fire near Broadway and Stone Street. Any fuller public account is likely to come through FDNY records, city agencies or a later statement from the MTA or police. (abc7ny.com) (portal.311.nyc.gov)