STORY: Approximately 364 veterans, first responders, and civilians jumped into the Hudson River on Saturday (August 16) for a 3.5-mile swim from the Liberty State Park in New Jersey to Manhattan to honour fallen heroes and raise money for charity.

"It was very surreal, like, you know, my parents, grandparents immigrated here, so it was cool to be on that side and see where they started their life," said Allison Berger, an active military member who teaches at West Point. "And then just like the hardship of doing the swim, just thinking about those who didn't make it home, it was very moving and very emotional."

The participants of the seventh annual Navy SEAL Foundation NYC SEAL Swim started with an opening ceremony at the Liberty State Park's Empty Sky Memorial in Jersey City, New Jersey, to commemorate victims of the September 11 attacks, then ran with U.S. flags to Flag Plaza, a place from which they entered the water, and swam to a barge near the Statue of Liberty and then to another barge near Ellis Island.

The swimmers were supposed to go onto another leg of the swim between the Ellis Island barge and the South Cove in Battery Park, but the law enforcement advised the organizers to pull the final leg because the swimming conditions were too dangerous due to the tide and current.

But that didn't discourage participants.

"My personal reason is, well, the lifetime of service, you know, between my father, 36 years in the military, my service, and my brothers I lost during that time, to honour them and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for all these freedoms we have," said a Marine Corps veteran.

In addition to swimming, participants - former SEALs, veterans, police officers, firefighters, first responders, and civilians from across the country - did sets of honour push-ups and pull-ups to commemorate fallen heroes at each stop.

They ended the event at the World Trade Center's First Responders Statue and 9/11 Memorial.

The organizer of the event, the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) supports active-duty Navy SEALs, veterans, and their families with programs that promote, among other causes, education, financial literacy, and healthcare.

In 2024, the foundation raised $600,000 at the event. This year, it raised an estimated $775,000.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: NEW YORK HARBOR, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF NAVY SEAL FOUNDATION NYC SEAL SWIM PARTICIPANTS JUMPING INTO HUDSON RIVER AFTER FIRST LEG OF THEIR SWIM ACROSS RIVER FROM LIBERTY STATE PARK TO BARGE NEAR STATUE OF LIBERTY

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALLISON BREGER, 40, TEACHES AT WEST POINT, ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY, SAYING AFTER SWIM:

"It was very surreal, like, you know, my parents, grandparents immigrated here, so it was cool to be on that side and see where they started their life. And then just like the hardship of doing the swim, just thinking about those who didn't make it home, it was very moving and very emotional."

3. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS SWIMMING BETWEEN BARGE NEAR STATUE OF LIBERTY AND BARGE NEAR ELLIS ISLAND

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARTICIPANT WHO REFUSED TO GIVE HIS NAME, MARINE CORP VETERAN, SAYING AFTER SWIM:

"My personal reason is, well, the lifetime of service, you know, between my father, 36 years in the military, my service, and my brothers I lost during that time, to honour them and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for all these freedoms we have."

5. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS SWIMMING BETWEEN STATUE OF LIBERTY BARGE AND ELLIS ISLAND BARGE

6. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS ON BARGE NEXT TO ELLIS ISLAND

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLINTON FAGAN, 34, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, RESIDENT, SAYING AFTER SWIM:

"It was great, I mean, except the currents were too strong, we had to get out a little bit early, that sucked, but we're gonna do... finish strong, do the run, and hopefully we raised a lot of money today."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

8. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS RUNNING AFTER SWIMMING

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

9. VARIOUS OF DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN SKYLINE SEEN FROM LIBERTY STATE PARK

NEW YORK HARBOR, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

10. VARIOUS OF STATUE OF LIBERTY

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

11. PARTICIPANTS RUNNING WITH U.S. FLAGS TO LOCATION WHERE THEY WOULD JUMP INTO HUDSON RIVER

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAJ LARSEN, 47, FORMER NAVY SEAL, RESIDENT OF SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, SAYING BEFORE SWIM:

"We're here at the Hudson River Navy SEAL Foundation Swim. This is a chance for all of our brothers who have served in the special operations community to come together for an incredible cause. The Navy SEAL Foundation supports our community. It supports the Gold Star families for people who we've lost from the community. And then we have all these other incredible patriots like New York City policemen, New York firefighters who have come out to the swim in order to raise money for this great cause."

13. MILITARY VEHICLE DRIVING PAST CAMERA AND PARTICIPANTS WALKING WITH U.S. FLAGS

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAJ LARSEN, 47, FORMER NAVY SEAL, RESIDENT OF SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, SAYING BEFORE SWIM:

"I spent 13 years in the SEAL teams. I dedicated my life to the SEAL teams. It's the most fundamentally important period of my life. And I would just like to be here to give back to the community that gave so much to me."

15. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS DOING PUSHUPS AT EMPTY SKY MEMORIAL

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAY TANSLEY, 61, FORMER NAVY SEAL, RESIDENT OF VERO BEACH, HAWAII, SAYING BEFORE SWIM:

"I was a Navy SEAL, yes, back in the 80s, and I lost friends, and so it's a good way to honour them, their memory, and to remember them all at the same time. Yeah."

17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAROLYN MAZZACCO, 25, RESIDENT OF NEW JERSEY, SAYING BEFORE SWIM:

"Well, it's always important to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself, but this organization specifically is amazing, and it's giving back to the families of those who serve and are serving for us, so this is the least that we can do for them."

18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GRACE TURMAN, 21, RESIDENT OF DALLAS, TEXAS, SAYING BEFORE SWIM:

"And I think it's just really important to support them and come out and do something awesome for other people."

19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GARY SMITH, 63, RESIDENT OF BLACKWOOD, NEW JERSEY, FORMER MEMBER OF NAVY CONSTRUCTION BATTALION, SAYING BEFORE SWIM:

"Being a veteran and honouring our country and greatest place to live, and it's the least we can do for the fallen and people we've lost. I'm a police officer. I lost two friends, and that's why I'm here, I'm swimming for them."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 16, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

20. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS DOING PULLUPS AND PUSHUPS AT FIRST RESPONDER MEMORIAL NEAR WORLD TRADE CENTER

21. PAN FROM PARTICIPANTS DOING PULLUPS TO WORLD TRADE CENTER TOWER