The Boston Tea Party inspired similar actions, including New York's own tea rebellion on April 22, 1774. Reacting to the Tea Act and growing revolutionary sentiment, New York's Sons of Liberty stopped tea shipments and destroyed 18 chests of tea for private sale from the ship London by dumping this tea into New York Harbor. Local activists forced the captain to abandon his ship and flee the scene. This reflected the colonies' escalating defiance against British policies and deepened their path toward independence.