2 dead after boat crashes into Brooklyn Bridge, masts collapse

NEW YORK - Two people are dead after a Mexican Navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, knocking off its masts and sending sailors tumbling, according to officials.

The collision

What we know:

At approximately 8:20 p.m., the sailboat, with 277 passengers on board, departed from Pier 17, said Chief Wilson Aramboles, head of NYPD Special Operations Division. 

Soon afterward, the captain of the ship reportedly lost power and the current pushed the ship into the pillar of the bridge, Wilson said. Officials, however, cautioned that this information was preliminary. 

Video shows the large sailboat, with three towering masts and a waving Mexican flag, plowing into the bridge, as shocked onlookers are heard screaming, "Oh my god."

Several sailors were on the masts at the time of the collision and thrown off. One video appears to show a person dangling from a broken mast. Remarkably, no one fell into the water, officials said.

FOX 5 NY's Michelle Ross spoke with former merchant mariner, Dr. Sal Mercogliano, to discuss the footage of the ship crashing into the bridge.

"It appears… the ship went backwards instead of forwards," Mercogliano said. "The combination of the ship's propulsion, the wind and the current sent the ship toward the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge."

He also explained why there were crewmembers on the mast, telling Ross that they were harnessed to man the rail, otherwise known as "dressing the ship," to show the vessel saluting the country they are leaving.

Government officials on the collision

In total, 19 were injured, four seriously, according to NYC Mayor Eric Adams. He later posted that two of those injured had died.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum also posted about the collision, expressing her sympathy for the family members of the two crew members who died and thanking Mayor Adams for his support.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference to discuss details regarding the incident.

Schumer noted that the tides and winds were blowing upriver at the time of the crash, "thus requiring the vessel to use its organic power or the assistance of a tug." The vessel did not use a tugboat's assistance,

He also pointed out that Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) may not have been fully functional in light of a hiring freeze affecting the Department of Homeland Security – which the Coast Guard falls under – implemented by the Trump administration.

VTS is a system used by the Coast Guard to "prevent collisions, rammings and groundings," as well as to "facilitate vessel movements and enhance transportation system efficiency."

Local perspective:

The 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge did not sustain major damage, and both lanes have reopened after the bridge was closed for rescue operations.

What we don't know:

The cause of the collision remains under investigation, and it was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. The ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not toward the bridge, WIlson said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is launching a go-team to the bridge to investigate the collision after the Coast Guard ceded authority on the matter.

Mexican naval officials say they are going to conduct their own investigation into the collision.

We also don't know the identities of the two crew members killed.

Why the Cuauhtémoc was in NYC

The backstory:

The boat is reportedly the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc, which sailed into New York Harbor earlier this week, according to the New York Post. Officials said the boat was stopping in New York but headed to Iceland.

The Cuauhtémoc, with its 147-foot mast, was intended to travel back to New York in July 2026 for the Sail4th event celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

"The vessel, built in Spain in 1982 with the sole purpose of training cadets, is expected to be one of 30 Class A International Tall Ships that will parade through the Harbor on July 4, 2026," the Post reported.

Editor's note: A previous version of this report incorrectly stated that sailors fell into the water after the crash. The sailors fell off the masts but were injured inside the ship.

New York City