Mexican navy training vessel hits New York’s Brooklyn Bridge. Some injuries reported

Cliff Notes

• Collision Details: The Mexican navy training ship Cuauhtémoc collided with the Brooklyn Bridge, resulting in the top of its masts striking the structure. Eyewitness accounts described segments of the masts snapping and partially collapsing during the incident.
• Injuries and Rescue Operations: The New York Fire Department confirmed that injuries were reported, although the exact number and nature of the injuries remain unclear. Some individuals were observed being removed from the vessel on stretchers, and there were reports of personnel dangling from the ship during the rescue efforts.
• Vessel Information and Mission: The Cuauhtémoc, an academy training vessel measuring approximately 297 feet long and 40 feet wide, had embarked on a journey to visit 22 ports across 15 nations. The ship was carrying 277 personnel, which includes cadets in training, and had set sail from Acapulco in early April for a lengthy voyage of 254 days, aiming for various international destinations.

Mexican navy training vessel hits New York’s Brooklyn Bridge. Some injuries reported

A masted Mexican Navy training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, sits stranded after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyle Viterbo)

NEW YORK (AP) — A Mexican navy sailing ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday during a promotional tour in New York City, the top of its three masts slamming into the iconic span and partially collapsing as the boat floated in the East River.

The New York Fire Department press desk confirmed that authorities responded to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.

A Mexican navy ship sits in the water after it hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in New York. ( Photo/Kyle Viterbo)

In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the masts could be seen snapping and partially collapsing as they crashed into the deck of the bridge. Videos showed heavy traffic on the span at the time of the collision.

The vessel, which was flying a giant green, white and red Mexican flag, then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.

Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz told The Associated Press they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge and one of its masts snap. Looking closer, they saw someone dangling from high on the ship.

“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,” Katz said.

They said they saw two people removed from the ship on stretchers onto smaller boats.

The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in an accident with the Brooklyn Bridge that prevented it from continuing its voyage.

It added that the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.

A masted Mexican Navy training ship, the Cuauhtémoc, sits stranded after colliding with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyle Viterbo)

“The Secretary of the Navy renews its commitment to the safety of personnel, transparency in its operations and excellent training for future officers of the Mexican Armada,” it said in Spanish.

The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 1,600-foot (490-meter) main span that is 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, and its walkway is a major tourist attraction.

The Cuauhtemoc — about 297 feet long and 40 feet wide (90.5 meters long and 12 meters wide), according to the Mexican Navy — sailed for the first time in 1982.

Each year it 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 with 277 people onboard, the Navy said then.

The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations, including Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; Cozumel, Mexico; and New York.

It had also planned to go to Reykjavik, Iceland; Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk, France; and Aberdeen, Scotland, among others, for a total of 254 days, 170 of them at sea.