Pete Davidson And Colin Jost Have Bought A Staten Island Ferry

Pete Davidson And Colin Jost Have Bought A Staten Island Ferry (NBC/Alamy)

Saturday Night Live's Pete Davidson and Colin Jost have splashed out on a 60-year-old Staten Island ferry.

The SNL comics, both of whom come from Staten Island, spent a whopping $281,000 on a decommissioned vessel, with 'grand plans' to turn it into a 'live entertainment event space, with comedy, music, art, et cetera'.

The pair worked with Paul Italia, a comedy club owner and real estate agent, on acquiring the ferry after it went up for auction.

Italia, the co-owner of The Stand in Manhattan, New York City, spoke to the New York Post about Davidson and Jost's winning bid for the bright orange vessel, named 'John F. Kennedy'.

'We’re in the early stages, but everybody involved had the same ambition – not to see this thing go to the scrapyard,' he said.

The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services put the boat up for auction on January 12, with bidding starting at $125,000. It was decommissioned as a result of mechanical issues, as per the ferry's description.

pete with the staten island ferry him and colin jost just bought! 💰⛴ pic.twitter.com/6jQPSsx4HX

— pete davidson updates (@davidsonpics) January 21, 2022

'This double ended, passenger and vehicle ferry up for auction is in poor condition and had to be decommissioned due to mechanical issues, the mechanical issues are on the propulsion end. on this vessel are numerous spare parts which are obsolete and not needed by our agency,' it read.

The boat's purchase has received the support of New York Mayor Eric Adams. 'I love this idea. What a great way to give an NYC icon a second life. Let us know how we can help and we’ll be there for the maiden voyage,' he tweeted.

Live, from St. George Terminal!

Pete, @ColinJost: I love this idea. What a great way to give an NYC icon a second life. Let us know how we can help and we’ll be there for the maiden voyage. https://t.co/tT4wm3upVb

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 21, 2022

The ferry measures out at 277ft long, and can hold more than 3,000 passengers. However, there's still a few important things to do before A-listers step aboard; firstly, Italia, Davidson and Jost now have 10 days to move it out of St. George Ferry Terminal. There's just one problem: it won't even move with its own power right now.

Italia confirmed they're 'talking to a lot of shipyards in the area', with prospective plans for a tugboat to tow the ferry to a nearby shipyard until a more permanent residence is decided.

In a video filmed shortly after Davidson bought the ferry, he told a passer-by that it was going to get a 'bunch of work' done before it was opened for events. The winning bid will also go towards the city's general fund.

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