Two crew members remain in serious condition and 17 more were injured, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said.
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. ET on Saturday evening.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference around midnight that two Mexican sailors had died after succumbing to their injuries and that two more were in serious condition.
Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 18, 2025
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
“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.
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.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 18, 2025
Following our preliminary inspection, we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage and is now open to…
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.
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.
— SEMAR México (@SEMAR_mx) May 18, 2025
El estado del personal y material se encuentra en… pic.twitter.com/7imVEzks4m
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 still standing after the upper halves were snapped off on impact.
Brooklyn *WATER RESCUE* Box 0492
— NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) May 18, 2025
Manhattan Bridge
BOAT ACCIDENT, PEOPLE IN THE WATER. TUG BOAT REMOVING PPL FROM THE WATER pic.twitter.com/DPqS5IzsP2
“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 it, 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.
By Melanie Sun
