Mexican Navy Training Ship Crashes Into NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge, 2 Dead

Two crew members remain in serious condition and 20 more were injured, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.

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

Two people have died after all three masts of a Mexican navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City just before 8:30 p.m. EDT on the evening of May 17.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference at about 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 wrote in a post on social media platform X.

The Mexican navy confirmed on X that its training ship, the Cuauhtémoc sailboat, was involved. It said in an update that 22 people were injured.

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

A search and rescue operation responded 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 conducted by the crew while docking or departing. Some were seen by witnesses still clinging to the lower section of the masts left standing after the upper halves had been snapped off upon 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 ... 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 it, crossing the East River.

According to the Mexican navy, the ship—manned by a 277-strong crew with about 150 cadets—was departing from Pier 17 in the New York City borough of Manhattan 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 of Mexico Esteban Moctezuma Barragán told reporters alongside Adams at the news 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, saying: “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

According to preliminary information, the pilot of the ship lost control because of a mechanical problem.

“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,” Wilson Aramboles, New York Police Department chief of special operations, told reporters.

“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. 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 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,” which departed Acapulco, Mexico, in mid-April. It had visited Kingston, Jamaica; Havana; and Cozumel, Mexico, before arriving in New York City on May 13.

“[Damage to the ship is] preventing the continuation of the instructional cruise for the time being,” the Mexican navy statement reads.

“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.”

A masted Mexican navy training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, sits stranded after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City 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 at about 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.