During the Independence Day festivities in San Francisco, passengers had a frightening experience when their Waymo autonomous car drove toward ignited fireworks positioned on the street.
A video captured the moment as the driverless vehicle edged nearer to the fireworks, leaving the occupants visibly alarmed as the fireworks prepared to launch.
As the autonomous car advanced, a bystander attempted to stop it by frantically gesturing with their hand.
The Waymo passengers were understandably shaken as their self-driving car approached the active fireworks. (Rose Peterson via Storyful)
Amidst the chaos, a passenger can be heard urging the vehicle with escalating concern: “No, no, no, don’t go, don’t go, don’t go,”.
The autonomous vehicle then passes over the colorful flames and sparks.
“Our Waymo just drove into a firework,” a passenger says in the clip.
A Waymo vehicle sits idling at an intersection with no operating traffic lights due to power outages, in San Francisco, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)
“Are we on fire, dude?” a fellow passenger asks.
A Waymo spokesperson told News Media that the company “is committed to keeping our riders safe and earning the trust of the communities where we operate.”
“We take situations like this seriously and are committed to evaluating and learning from these events,” the statement continued.
No injuries were reported to either the passengers or the vehicle, and the company reached out to the riders after their trip. The possession of fireworks, even “Safe and Sane” explosives, is illegal in San Francisco, the city’s fire department said.
One woman was killed and two other adults and a child were injured Saturday in a separate fireworks explosion, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Elsewhere in San Francisco, some Waymo vehicles were towed when their batteries died after vehicles became stuck in traffic for hours.
“Our priority is keeping San Francisco moving safely, especially during major city celebrations,” the Waymo spokesperson said. “On the Fourth of July, extreme traffic congestion in northern San Francisco disrupted normal operations for several Waymo vehicles.”
“In coordination with local authorities and emergency services, our roadside assistance team worked quickly to clear our vehicles from the area,” the statement continued.