WaPo - (archived: https://archive.ph/LdFio ) Mexican naval ship rams into Brooklyn Bridge, killing 2 and injuring 19

The ARM Cuauhtémoc was sailing on New York City’s East River when the captain lost control of the ship. All the victims were crew members.

Updated
May 18, 2025 at 5:08 a.m.

By Kelly Kasulis Cho, Emmanuel Felton and El Calabrese

A towering Mexican naval sailing ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening during a festive journey down New York City’s East River, snapping two of its masts and killing two crew members, officials said.

Nineteen others were injured, and two remained in critical condition, Mayor Eric Adams said shortly after midnight Sunday. The injured were all also crew members, according to the Mexican government.

The captain of the ARM Cuauhtémoc lost control of the vessel after a mechanical failure, and the ship struck one of the bridge’s pillars, said Wilson Aramboles, the chief of special operations for the New York Police Department. Adams said the ship lost power before the crash.

The Cuauhtémoc, a roughly 150-foot-tall Mexican naval ship built more than 40 years ago in Spain, was shown in social media videos drifting along the river when it slowly crashed into the bridge, causing two of its masts to break and dangle in the air. The ship had attracted the attention of admirers before the crash, its brightly lit string lights, Mexican flags and dozens of white sails glowing against the evening skyline. Some fled the walkway along the water as the ship ground to a halt.

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