Video obtained by USA TODAY shows the crowd excitedly counting down the final seconds of 2025, then falling into chaotic silence with no fireworks.
See NYE crowd gather on Brooklyn Bridge after ‘inaccurate’ fireworks post
An erroneous social media post caused crowds to gather on the Brooklyn Bridge to watch fireworks, which never took place.
Thousands of people, apparently fooled by misleading social media posts, braved the cold to attend a New Year’s Eve fireworks show on New York’s Brooklyn Bridge.
The only problem? It wasn’t actually planned.
Video posted on social media and obtained by USA TODAY shows the crowd uniting, pointing cell phone cameras to the sky as they excitedly count down the final seconds of 2025, then shouting “Happy New Year.” After a few seconds, the expected fireworks fail to appear and they fall into a confused silence.
Marco Abbiati, an Instagram user who offers Christmas tours of New York City, posted a reel saying that social media videos posted in recent days showed footage of Fourth of July fireworks on the bridge. According to digital media outlet Daily Dot, the video was generated by AI.
“It was advertised as if it were for New Year’s Eve, misleading thousands of people,” Abbiatti wrote.
Brooklyn Bridge Park officials said they were unaware of the fake post until after the incident.
“Our understanding is that inaccurate social media posts caused crowds to gather in certain areas of the park in anticipation of midnight fireworks,” park officials told USA TODAY. “Although the visitors were disappointed, the crowd remained orderly and dispersed without incident.”
Other videos posted since then show crowds lining up along the waterfront waiting for the non-existent exhibit, their stunned tweets interrupted only by random party horns. “Now,” TikTok user zackgill02 said in a video documenting the fiasco. “Where are you? Did you play a prank on me?”
Another TikTok user posted a video about going to see fireworks for the first time after living in New York City for eight years. “I parked my car, grabbed my camera and followed thousands of people walking towards the same place,” user @dhruvsaha said. There will be no fireworks in that perfect front row spot.
“Just a mess,” they posted. “I was very disappointed.”
New Yorkers were unsparing in their comments, pointing out that the absence of a police boat and the venue’s previous New Year’s Eve event should have been red flags, and questioning why attendees didn’t double-check the information.
“The moral of the story: Social media and AI are powerful tools, but they can also be dangerous if misused,” Abbiatti wrote in the post. “Always be careful what you trust online and make sure the person you’re sharing information with actually knows what they’re talking about. Otherwise, your dream trip can quickly turn into a nightmare.”
