The founder of NY Waterway, the ferry company that has transported millions of commuters and sightseers across the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York, has died. Arthur Imperatore was 95.

A company spokesman said Imperatore died Wednesday in New York after a long illness. A memorial service is planned for a future date.

NY Waterway ferries helped to evacuate 150,000 people from New York on Sept. 11, 2001, according to the company. Its boats sprang into action again on Jan. 15, 2009 when US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing on the Hudson River after losing engine power and aided in the rescue of 143 people on board.

Imperatore was born in West New York, New Jersey, one of 10 children whose family operated a grocery store. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

He started NY Waterway in 1986 in Weehawken, New Jersey, and created a bus-to-ferry network that served the surrounding area and helped drive waterfront development in the towns along the Hudson.

Imperatore was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2017 along with actor Ray Liotta, singer Connie Francis and television host Kelly Ripa, among others.