Mexican Navy ship Crashes into the Brooklyn Bridge.

On Saturday, May 17th 2025, a 300 ft boat crashed into a 142 year old Brooklyn Bridge. The boat is a Mexican Navy ship called the Cuauhtémoc (kwow-TEH-mok). As the ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, a lot of the ship’s gear was destroyed, two passengers were killed and many others were severely injured. 

Acquired by the Mexican government decades ago, the boat is used to help cadets, trainees for special forces, with their training such as weather conditions, navigating seas, ship maintenance, and teamwork, for the Mexican Navy. Every year, the cadets take the ship on an international goodwill mission, a group of  people representing their government who try to facilitate good relationships with other countries. This trip was scheduled to be 254 days, travelling to countries all over the world such as Jamaica, Scotland, London, and France. On April 6th, the ship disembarked from a port in Acapulco, Mexico , celebrating their 200th anniversary of the ship leaving the port. 

Before the crash, the boat was docked at Pier 17 for five days near South Street Seaport Museum, and scheduled to leave on May 17th. About five minutes after the ship left the dock for Reykjavik, Iceland, it crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. The Cuauhtemoc suffered serious damages, while the 142 year old bridge was barely harmed. All three of the ship’s masts, a tall pole that supports the sails and rigging material, broke off destroying much of the rigging, a system of ropes that control the movement of the masts, sails, and other parts of the boat. The cadets were hanging on the rigging, so when the rigging broke, they fell off, injuring 22 passengers and two cadets. 

The two people who died were América Yamilet Sánchez, 20 years old, and Adal Maldonado Marcos, 23 years old. They were both cadets, who were training to be in the Mexican Navy. According to ABC News, at least 22 people were injured and two of them are in critical condition. They were taken to a nearby hospital, where the two cadets in critical condition received further medical attention, while others could return to Mexico with the other passengers.

After the collision, tugboats assisted in towing the Cuauhtémoc to Pier 36. When first responders arrived at the scene they searched for anyone who had fallen in, yet no one had. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the recent crash. However, Mexican authorities did not grant the NTSB authorization to board the ship and interview the Mexican crew until Tuesday, May 20. While the cause of the collision remains undetermined, NTSB officials have issued preliminary reports suggesting a potential mechanical issue.