A man's camera captured the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse. He looks back one year later.
Every second of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse one year ago in Baltimore – from the moments before to the aftermath - was caught on a camera.
That camera was set up by Mike Singer nearly two years ago to allow people to livestream ships coming in and out of the Port of Baltimore.
Singer never thought it would be the reason that people got a front row seat to one of the biggest disasters in history.
The Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River on March 26, 2024, after it was struck by a container ship that lost power. The bridge collapse sent seven construction workers into the river, killing six.
One year after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
The gap where the Key Bridge once stood is still an eerie sight for Singer.
WJZ caught up with him, asking if it was still strange one year later.
"Absolutely," Singer said. "I mean, my dad and I used to crab and fish out here."
Singer said it's hard for him to believe it has already been a year since the collapse. His video capturing the whole event went viral, reaching so many across the world, all because of his camera.
Singer set up the camera on top of his friend's house in partnership with a livestream company.
It became a go-to view for the Port of Baltimore, especially for those who are part of the Baltimore & Chesapeake Bay Ship Watchers. Singer founded the group.
"We were just kinda watching the ships kinda come and go, all the different types of ships that come and go here from the port, until that fateful day," Singer said.
He didn't realize what happened last year until hours after the fact. He saw the camera stream going viral.
"It's not necessarily the kind of thing you want to be famous for," Singer said.
Recently, Singer was honored by the Maryland General Assembly, as they called his footage instrumental to the investigation into the collapse of the Key Bridge.
Singer said that is one benefit of catching the tragedy.
"When did the ship turn? When did the generators kick back on and belt some more smoke? When did the lights go out twice? Just imagine what it would be like if it wasn't there," Singer said. "We'd have 50 more questions than we have today."
Growing the ship watchers community
Singer said his ship watchers and livestream communities have grown since the collapse of the Key Bridge.
He even started a podcast about the port.
Amid all of that, the camera has been up, capturing the cleanup efforts and the beginning of the rebuild effort.
"It feels really exciting to be able to just watch them build it, watch the entire process," Singer told WJZ. "It's gonna be an incredible thing to watch."
New Key Bridge design
Maryland leaders said the Key Bridge rebuild is expected to take at least four years, and is scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2028. It will cost an estimated $2 billion.
In December 2024, Congress allocated $100 billion to disaster relief, including federal funding that covers the entire cost of rebuilding the bridge.
In celebrating the funding, Gov. Moore said the rebuild effort was "on time and on budget."
In February, the design for the new Key Bridge was unveiled. The new bridge will be slightly taller with an expanded shipping channel to accommodate traffic from vessels. The new bridge will have an expected lifespan of 100 years.
Some pre-construction work got underway in January. Officials said those activities are expected to take several months.
Demolition is expected to begin sometime this spring to remove the remaining pillars before construction can start.
