2 dead after Brooklyn Bridge hit by Mexican navy ship

preCharge News NEW YORK — Two people died and more than a dozen were hurt when a Mexican navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday in New York City, officials said.

In a news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said 277 were on board the vessel sailing the East River when it collided with the bridge just before 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Adams said at least 19 people were hurt and four suffered serious injuries. He later announced two of them died.

Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.

At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries. pic.twitter.com/mlaCX0X8Mh
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 18, 2025

“No one fell into the water, they were all hurt inside the ship,” NYPD Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said. “…The ship, from what I was informed by the supervisors of the ship, it was disembarking and going to Iceland.”

The New York City Department of Transportation reported in a post to social media that bridge inspectors had so far found “no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge.”

Ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge

The Mexican navy said in a post on social media that the Cuauhtemoc was damaged during a sailing maneuver.

Durante la maniobra de zarpe del Velero Cuauhtémoc en Nueva York, se registró un percance con el Puente de Brooklyn que provocó daños al Buque Escuela, impidiendo por el momento la continuación del crucero de instrucción.

El estado del personal y material se encuentra en… pic.twitter.com/7imVEzks4m
— SEMAR México (@SEMAR_mx) May 18, 2025

Adams said in a social media post the Cuauhtemoc lost power before it crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.

Videos posted online showed the ship apparently drifting backward before all three masts hit the bridge and broke apart.

Some sailors could be seen dangling by wires from near of the top of the ship after it struck the bridge. The main mast of the 297-foot long ship is 160 feet tall.

“I guess it was, the pilot that is assigned to navigate, you know, the boat out of the water, I believe there was some mechanical issues that probably caused the ship to hit the water,” Aramboles said.

Brooklyn Bridge Collision — Pedestrians walking along Brooklyn Bridge Park look on as a masted Mexican Navy training ship sits stranded near the Manhattan Bridge after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in New York. (Nick Corso via AP)

Witnesses reported hearing a loud crunch followed by screams.

“All of the sudden we heard tons of screaming coming from this massive crowd that was here,” Torrey Leonard said. “Our hearts were skipping a beat because it was just horrible, how it sounded. We heard like this wood crunch. We then stood up from dinner right here and looked at the bridge and we saw what everybody’s already seen happen. Which was just horrifying.”

Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexican ambassador to the U.S., told reporters the ship has been sailing for about 20 years and was headed from Cozumel, Mexico, to Iceland. The ship arrived in New York City on May 13.

Police urged people to avoid the area around the bridge, including the South Street Seaport in Manhattan and DUMBO in Brooklyn. The bridge had been temporarily shut down to traffic, but has since reopened.

The bridge originally opened in 1883 and has a nearly 1,600-foot main span.