‘Pandemonium’: Sailors Go Flying As Mexican Navy Smashes Into Brooklyn Bridge

Approximately 20 people were injured when a Mexican navy ship carrying at least 200 people collided with the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, snapping its three masts and sending crew members flying through the air – with some left swinging in harnesses for ‘at least like 15 minutes’ according to an eyewitness.

The vessel, the Cuauhtémoc, is a sail training vessel that was about to leave New York for a goodwill tour to Iceland when the incident occurred. Video showed heavy traffic on the bridge during the collision.

On the scene was 23-year-old Nick Corso, who whipped his phone out to capture the action – telling AP it sounded like a “big twig” had snapped, and that the scene was “pandemonium.”

“I didn’t know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he told the outlet.

A massive pirate ship just hit the Brooklyn Bridge pic.twitter.com/eWRvh8Ognn

— Corso (@Corso52) May 18, 2025

The Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc sailed into New York Tuesday, with 277 sailors aboard.
This is the same ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge tonight.
More:pic.twitter.com/nflRPALTTW

— Marla Hohner (@marlahohner) May 18, 2025

Just watched the Brooklyn Bridge get smoked live by a boat with a massive Mexican flag pic.twitter.com/R8eJKwJaJ2

— Nelson Slinkard (@TheWillieNelson) May 18, 2025

The ship was secured by a tugboat between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges following the collision.

At least 19 people were injured, including four with “serious” injuries, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams – while the Mexican navy puts the count at 22 injured, 19 of whom needed medical treatment.

NEW: Video shows sailors on the masts of the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc before it hit the Brooklyn bridge. #PuenteDeBrooklyn #Barco #boat pic.twitter.com/gW5GXBfp1a

— Noteworthy News (@newsnoteworthy) May 18, 2025

“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,” a bystander, Lily Katz, told AP.

Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge has a main span of nearly 1,600 feet, supported by two masonry towers. Over 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians use the bridge every day, according to the city’s transportation department.