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NEW YORK, N.Y. — A Mexican Navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour collided with the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night, snapping all three of its towering masts and killing two crew members, city officials confirmed Sunday.
The training vessel Cuauhtémoc, a 297-foot tall ship flying a massive Mexican flag, had just left a Manhattan pier when it reversed abruptly into the bridge span around 8:20 p.m., its masts striking the structure and splintering as the ship drifted toward shore.
Eyewitness videos captured the dramatic collision and its aftermath, with sailors suspended in harnesses high above deck, some dangling for up to 15 minutes as emergency crews responded. Spectators described scenes of "pandemonium" as masts snapped one by one.
“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was blurry or my eyes,” witness Lily Katz told The Associated Press. “We were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone hanging from the harness at the top.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the historic 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge, which carries more than 100,000 vehicles and 32,000 pedestrians daily, did not sustain structural damage, though traffic was briefly halted. After inspection, the span reopened later Saturday night.
Adams initially reported 19 injuries, including four serious cases. On Sunday, he confirmed that two of those critically injured sailors had died. The Mexican Navy later reported a total of 22 injuries.
The Cuauhtémoc had arrived in New York on May 13 and was open to the public for several days as part of a 254-day goodwill voyage to 15 countries. Its next planned destination was Iceland.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. NYPD Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship was supposed to sail out to sea but unexpectedly reversed toward the bridge. Preliminary reports suggest a mechanical failure may have caused the loss of propulsion. A tugboat was seen near the vessel at the time of the crash.
“This is a tragic incident during what was supposed to be a celebration of cultural exchange,” said the Mexican Ambassador during a Sunday press briefing. “We mourn the loss of our sailors and stand with their families.”
The vessel, first launched in 1982, serves as a training ship for Mexico’s naval cadets. Its main mast reaches 160 feet — tall enough to collide with the Brooklyn Bridge’s lower span in the East River, depending on water conditions.
As midnight neared Saturday, the heavily damaged ship was slowly towed under the Manhattan Bridge and docked nearby. Onlookers lined the waterfront to witness the surreal scene of the broken ship being guided to safety.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed condolences on social media: “Our solidarity and support go out to the families of the two brave crew members who lost their lives.”
The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are jointly investigating the incident. Mexico has not given NTSB officials approval to go aboard, leading to “perishable evidence” concerns, officials said Monday.
Here are three red flags law enforcement sources say we shouldn’t ignore:
1. This was a foreign military vessel, and it lost control in a critical U.S. waterway.
This wasn’t a sightseeing schooner. The Cuauhtémoc is a commissioned naval ship, operated by a foreign government, navigating within striking distance of one of America’s most iconic structures. Law enforcement officials tell Cops & Congress the vessel had prior authorization to be in New York Harbor, but mechanical issues shouldn’t be an acceptable excuse for this level of failure.
“What happens if it wasn’t an accident?” one federal maritime official said. “You don’t wait to find out.”
2. The response was delayed and the chain of command was unclear.
People were dangling from the rigging for 15 minutes. A dozen city agencies responded, but who was in charge? A Navy crew? The NYPD? The Coast Guard? One senior NYPD source told me, “There was no unified command. That’s a major concern.” On 9/11/01, one of the biggest failures was a breakdown in communication between agencies.
3. This was a real-time stress test of critical infrastructure. It failed.
This ship didn’t just drift — it reversed straight into one of the most surveilled, trafficked, and symbolically important pieces of infrastructure in America. According to NYPD intel, more than 100,000 vehicles cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day. Had the mast struck with more force, or had the bridge been compromised, there could’ve been mass casualties — not just on the ship, but on the roadway above, sources told me.
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Opinion & Analysis: Cops & Congress Commentary
I Was in NYC on 9/11 — This Ship Strike Raised Red Flags
I was in New York City on September 11, 2001. I know what it means when a normal day turns into a crisis — when public safety systems are tested not by theory, but by fire. This isn’t the first time a bridge has been struck. So when a Mexican Navy vessel slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, snapping its masts and killing two crew members, I didn’t see a fluke. I saw a warning.
In my view, everyone needs to be concerned about this — from Lake Lure to Brooklyn and beyond — because it wasn’t just a ship hitting a bridge; it was a wake-up call. Whether you live in a rural mountain town or a global city, our infrastructure is interconnected, our waterways are entry points, and our public safety systems are only as strong as their weakest link. If a foreign naval vessel can drift off course and strike a critical structure in one of the most heavily policed harbors in the world, it raises urgent questions for every community about emergency readiness, oversight, and coordination. This wasn’t just New York’s problem — it’s America’s.
Bottom Line:
A foreign Navy vessel hit an American landmark, killed two crew, injured dozens more, and exposed a cascade of vulnerabilities in engineering, response, and communication. And it happened in full view of the public, with tourists filming the crash in real time.
I’ve seen what happens when red flags are ignored. Congress needs to get serious — fast — about port security, maritime coordination, and infrastructure protection. Because next time, it may not be a goodwill tour. It may be something else.
NTSB expects to release its preliminary report in 30 days.
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