Mexican Navy Training Ship Crashes Into New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge, 2 Dead

Two crew members remain in serious condition and 17 more were injured, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said.

A masted Mexican Navy training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, sits stranded after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on May 17, 2025. Kyle Viterbo/AP Photo

All three masts of a tall ship flying a massive Mexican flag crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City just before 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday evening.

The Mexican Navy confirmed on social media platform X that its training ship, the Cuauhtémoc Sailboat, was involved.

It said in an update that 22 people were injured, with 19 of them needing medical assistance.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told a press conference around midnight that two Mexican sailors had died after succumbing to their injuries and that two more were in serious condition.

“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse,” Adams added in a post on X.

The 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage, Adams said.

A search and rescue operation reportedly helped attend to injured sailors who were standing on the masts of the ship at the time of the collision.

They were likely manning the yards, in an act of ceremonial respect that is done by the crew while docking or departing. Some were seen by witnesses still clinging to the lower section of the masts still standing after the upper halves were snapped off on impact.

“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” Lily Katz said.

The witnesses reported that the bridge visibly shook from the collision. As the masts of the ship hit the side of the bridge, hundreds of cars were still on the bridge crossing the East River.

According to the Mexican Navy, the ship—manned by a 277-strong crew with around 150 cadets—was departing from Manhattan’s Pier 17 when it strayed northward and over to the Brooklyn side of the river where it struck the bridge.

The next destination of the goodwill vessel was meant to be Iceland, Ambassador for Mexico Esteban Moctezuma Barragán told reporters alongside Adams at the press conference.

“I want to thank the mayor for his support, and we will continue to be very close to the families and the injured in order to help them in any way we can,” he said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum thanked Adams for his support in a statement on X, adding, “Our solidarity and support go out to the families. The Secretariat of the Navy, with the support of local authorities, is attending to the injured.”

Ship Loses Power

NYPD Chief of Special Operations Wilson Aramboles told reporters that according to preliminary information, the “pilot—the captain that was maneuvering the ship—lost power of the ship, and the current, mechanical function, caused the ship to go right into the pillar of the bridge, hitting the mast of the ship where there was a couple of sailors on top of it.

“These sailors were injured as a result of the mast striking the bridge.”

Witnesses also told Fox 5 that a tugboat was accompanying the ship at the time, but there appears to have been some trouble as the ship ended up moving north instead of south and out into New York Harbor.

Adams said later in a post on X that the ship had “lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.” The cause of the incident is still being investigated.

After the collision, a tugboat was able to hold the ship in place in the East River between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

The ship was specifically built in 1982 to train cadets of Mexico’s Heroic Naval Military School. Each year, it embarks on a series of extended training cruises to promote cultural exchange and strengthen diplomatic ties around the world.

It was in Manhattan as part of its training cruise “Consolidation of the Independence of Mexico 2025” that departed Acapulco, Mexico, in mid-April. It had visited Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; and Cozumel, Mexico, before arriving in New York on May 13.

Damage to the ship is “preventing the continuation of the instructional cruise for the time being,” the Mexican Navy statement read.

“The condition of the personnel and equipment is under review by naval and local authorities, who are providing support.

“The Secretariat of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of personnel, transparency in its operations, and the excellent training of future officers of the Mexican Navy,” it added.

A masted Mexican Navy training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, sits stranded after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on May 17, 2025. Kyle Viterbo/AP Photo

All lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge were closed in both directions following the collision. The bridge was reopened around 10:50 p.m., New York City Emergency Management said in a post on X. “Expect residual delays,” it said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.