A three-masted Mexican Navy sailing ship, the Cuauhtémoc, reportedly carrying around 277 people, has struck the Brooklyn Bridge on New York City’s East River.
The collision occurred just before 9 p.m., with all three of the ship’s 147-feet-tall masts striking the bridge and snapping as the vessel appeared to be moving backward.
Pictures quickly emerged online, appearing to show multiple sailors clinging to rigging high up on the masts in the aftermath. At a press conference held by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, it was confirmed that there were 19 people injured, five critically, and contrary to earlier reports, no one fell into the water.
The mayor later said on X that two of the injured had passed away.
Bystanders on the Brooklyn waterfront caught the incident on video. The ship appears to strike some type of scaffolding or gantry on the underside of the bridge, which can then be seen swinging.
Debris can be seen falling toward the deck of the ship, including portions of the masts, lights, and rigging. The sails were not up at the time.
Eyewitnesses describe chaos during their trip to watch sunset: ‘Saw people dangling from the mast’
Eyewitnesses said they were watching the sunset when they saw a ship strike a bridge. Moments later, they noticed a person hanging from high on the vessel.
“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes,” Lily Katz said.
“We were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness at the top for at least 15 minutes before they were rescued.”

Just before the collision, Nick Corso, 23, took his phone out to capture the backdrop of the ship and the bridge against a sunset, Instead, he heard what sounded like the loud snapping of a “big twig.” Several more snaps followed.
People in his vicinity began running back and “pandemonium” on the boat erupted, he said.
He later saw a handful of people dangling from the mast.”I didn’t know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he said.
In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the hip, called the Cuauhtemoc, could be seen traveling swiftly toward the bridge near the Brooklyn side of the East River.
Then, its three masts struck the bridge’s main span and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving.
Shweta Sharma18 May 2025 06:17
In pictures: Vessel sits stranded in East Rive in aftermath of collision



Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 06:12
Two injured in ship collision die from injuries
New York Mayor Eric Adams has announced that two of those injured in Saturday night’s collision between a Mexican Navy ship and the Brooklyn Bridge have died from their injuries.
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 05:55
Recap: Everything we know so far about the ship crash at the Brooklyn Bridge
Here’s what we know so far after this evening’s collision injured dozens.
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 05:40
In pictures: New York mayor inspects crashed vessel


Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 05:20
Watch: Moment ship strikes Brooklyn Bridge
X user @orenjinoir was standing on the waterfront in Brooklyn when the collision occurred and caught the moment on video.
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 05:01
All three masts snapped on impact with underside of bridge
At least 19 people were injured, four of them seriously, when a three-masted Mexican Navy sailing ship, the Cuauhtémoc, reportedly carrying around 200 people, struck the Brooklyn Bridge on New York’s East River.
At a press conference, New York Mayor Eric Adams said that, contrary to earlier reports, no one had gone into the East River and all the injuries were sustained on board the tall ship.
The collision occurred just before 9 p.m., with all three of the ship’s 147-feet-tall masts striking the bridge and snapping as the vessel appeared to be moving backward.
Pictures emerged online, appearing to show multiple sailors clinging to rigging high up on the masts in the aftermath.
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 04:40
Brooklyn Bridge reopens after brief closure
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 04:20
New York governor briefed on incident
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been briefed on the incident and has offered assistance to the city if needed.
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 04:15
Watch: City officials hold press conference
No damage to the Brooklyn Bridge after the collision.
The injured have been taken to local area hospitals.
Oliver O’Connell18 May 2025 04:06