Mexican Navy vessel smashes into Brooklyn Bridge, killing two

DUMBO — Crowds in Brooklyn Bridge Park and in DUMBO watched in shock as the stately ARM Cuauhtémoc, a three-masted Mexican Navy training ship on a goodwill visit to New York City, slammed stern-first into the Brooklyn Bridge at roughly 8:39 p.m. Saturday. 

The crash broke the tops of three light-bedecked masts, injuring numerous crew members and killing two. The boat carries a crew of more than 200.

After hitting the Brooklyn Bridge, the boat drifted north, coming to shore near the Manhattan Bridge and Jane’s Carousel, where emergency personnel began evacuating the injured. Initial reports that crew members had fallen into the river proved to be false, fire department members on the scene told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Mayor Eric Adams visited the South Street Seaport an hour after the crash to update the media. During the press conference, Adams said 19 were injured, four seriously, and were transported to area hospitals. Two of those have since died, Adams posted on X shortly after midnight.

Officials said the ship was scheduled to head to Iceland after its New York City visit. 

Witnesses could not believe what they were seeing

“My wife and I were on our balcony because we had noticed that they were moving the ship and it was beautiful, it was all lit up,” Brooklyn Heights resident James Foster told the Eagle. “We were watching it and watching it, and then I said to my wife, ‘Wow, that thing looks like it’s moving so fast!’ And if you’re down there, it must be flying. Then we just watched all three masts crack and fall over — snap, snap, snap.” 

“Once they got the boat stopped at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge, I could see people up in the ratlines,” he added. “I don’t know if they were trying to disentangle the masts, or keep them from falling further, but there were definitely guys climbing up and down.”

“We were dining in the River Cafe when we saw this huge naval training ship hit the bridge. It was flying Mexican flags,” a woman visiting from Columbia with her husband (she did not want to share her name) told the Eagle. “I was very surprised — we saw the masts break!”

“We were up at Harriet’s Rooftop,” Meghan Meyer, visiting from California with her friend Courtney Gaines, told the Eagle. The friends had taken photos of the gaily-decorated ship as it sailed in the East River. One photo was timestamped 8:23 p.m., 16 minutes before FDNY got the call.

“We were looking out over the skyline when we noticed there was a crowd of people looking at the Brooklyn Bridge,” Meyer said. “And we didn’t know until after our server told us that the masts had broken off the ship when it tried to pass under the Brooklyn Bridge.”

“We are just visiting from California, and this is our Day One,” Gaines added. “We were just enjoying our meal and watching this beautiful ship. We took lots of pictures of it and then to hear that it hit the bridge, that’s such a tragedy. I hope nobody was badly hurt, that’s the part that’s most concerning. I mean, damage is damage, but people — we’re trauma nurses. So that’s our first thought.” 

The vessel had been berthed at the South Street Seaport when it pulled out into the harbor sometime after 8 p.m. The ship’s propulsion system appeared to malfunction, according to the “What’s Going on with Shipping” website. The ship was facing the Seaport when its stern (rear) hit the bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge was closed to traffic at roughly 10 p.m. but has since reopened.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.