Shocking moment families run for their lives as Mexican navy ship smashes into Brooklyn Bridge
Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
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THIS is the dramatic moment a Mexican Navy ship crashes into the famous Brooklyn Bridge, sending families running for their lives.
The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark leaving two people dead and 17 wounded.
Mexican Navy ship docked under a bridge with a Mexican flag waving.
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Families were captured running as the ship smashed into the bridgeCredit: X
epa12111534 Sailors on the masts of the Cuauhtemoc, a Mexican Navy training boat, as it sits in the East River after the ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, New York, USA, 17 May 2025. EPA/PORTER BINKS
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Sailors are seen on the masts of the Cuauhtemoc, a Mexican Navy training boat, as it sits in the East River after the ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge in New YorkCredit: EPA/Porter Binks
Illuminated tall ship sailing under the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Onlookers watched on in horror as the masts snapped
Illustration of Brooklyn Bridge crash: map showing location of collision near Pier 17, and image of ship.
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Footage shows the ship, named the Cuauhtemoc, moving rapidly in reverse towards the bridge, close to the Brooklyn side of the East River.
Suddenly, its three masts struck the bridge and snapped one by one as the ship continued to move.
Onlookers are seen slowly backing away from the walking path by the river, before screaming and running to safety the moment the boat hit the bridge.
More footage shows heavy traffic on the bridge at the time of the collision at 8.20pm.
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The vessel, which was flying a giant Mexican flag and had 277 people aboard, then drifted into a pier on the riverbank.
Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts but, unbelievably, no one fell into the water, officials said.
One witness, Elijah West, recalled seeing sailors falling from height off the boat sails.
He told the New York Post: "The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails.
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"It was crazy. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails.
"Police boats came around fast - about five minutes later. And then police guided the boat to the [Manhattan] bridge and started the rescue. It was a shock."
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And 43-year-old Ismari Romero also described hearing bloodcurdling screams and cries as onlookers watched sailors - many of whom were cadets - dangling from the vessel.
He told the paper: "We were scared - a lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying."
Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz said they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge.
Katz recalled: "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."
Just before the collision, Nick Corso, 23, took his phone out to capture the the ship and the bridge against a stunning sunset.
Instead, he heard what sounded like the "loud snapping of a big twig" - followed by several more terrifying snaps.
He could then see people running and chaotic noises erupted aboard the ship, he said.
Corso later saw a handful of people dangling from a mast.
"I didn't know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?" he said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the legendary 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage - but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment.
And two of the four people who suffered serious injuries later tragically died, Adams said on social media.
The cause of the collision is currently under investigation.
The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc was an academy training vessel.
It said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom needed medical treatment. No one on the bridge was injured.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X: "Our solidarity and support go out to their families."
People gathered at an outdoor venue under a bridge, near a ship with illuminated sails.
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Two people died in the horror smashCredit: X
Damaged Mexican Navy tall ship at a pier.
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A Mexican Navy tall ship floats off Pier 35 on the Manhattan side of the East RiverCredit: Getty
Mayor Eric Adams and others at the scene of the Cuauhtémoc crash.
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Mayor Eric Adams speaks on the Brooklyn Bridge smashCredit: X / @NYCMayor
Pedestrians watching a ship under the Brooklyn Bridge at night.
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Pedestrians walking along Brooklyn Bridge Park look on as a masted Mexican Navy training ship sits strandedCredit: AP
Damaged Mexican Navy training ship under the Brooklyn Bridge at night.
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This frame grab from AFPTV footage shows the boat after the collisionCredit: AFP
The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 490-meter main span supported by two masonry towers.
More than 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians cross every day, according to the city's transportation department.
Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after an inspection, city officials said.
It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course.
New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not toward the bridge.
He said an initial report was that the pilot of the ship had lost power due to a mechanical problem, though officials cautioned that information was preliminary.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 90.5 meters long and 12 meters wide, and according to the Mexican navy sailed for the first time in 1982.
The vessel's main mast has a height of 48.9 meters, according to the Mexican government.
As midnight approached, the broken boat was moved slowly up the East River, going under and past the Manhattan Bridge, aided by a series of tugboats, before docking at a pier.
Onlookers continued to gather on the waterfront to watch the spectacle.
Each year the Cuauhtemoc sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets' training.
This year it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on April 6, the navy said.
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It arrived in New York City on May 13, where visitors were welcome for several days, the Mexican consulate said.
The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations over 254 days, 170 of them at sea.
Emergency vehicles responding to an accident on a bridge at night.
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Rescue response from the FDNY and NYPD on the way after massive Mexican navy tall ship, making a festive visit to New York, crashes into the Brooklyn BridgeCredit: Getty
Disabled Mexican Navy tall ship at night in New York City, with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.
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The Mexican Navy tall ship floats between the Brooklyn and the Manhattan bridges on the East RiverCredit: Getty
NYPD boat assisting a disabled Mexican Navy ship near the Brooklyn Bridge.
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An NYPD boat approaches a disabled Mexican Navy tall ship as it floats between the Brooklyn and the Manhattan bridges
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