A large Mexican navy tall ship made a celebratory stop in New York but crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge late Saturday. The dramatic accident resulted in the ship’s massive masts collapsing onto the deck, injuring 35 people, with four in critical condition, as reported by fire officials and sources.
Efforts were underway to rescue individuals from the water after the Cuauhtémoc, a vessel with a crew of 277, mainly cadets, had one of its towering 147-foot masts strike the road deck of the bridge shortly before 9 p.m., according to sources from The Post.
Sources said 35 people were injured, including four critically — including crew who were seen plummeting into the water, sources and witnesses said.
Witness Elijah West, who was visiting from Texas, described the chaos: “The ship was passing under the bridge with sailors atop when the sails hit the bridge, causing people to fall. I think they were attempting a kind of display since it’s the Mexican Navy. It was wild. We were standing beneath the bridge when everyone started running, and I saw people dangling from the sails. Police boats arrived quickly, around five minutes later.”
It wasn’t claer why it crashed but sources said there may have been a power loss on the ship, which did not have it sail unfurled.
Harrowing footage from the scene showed the high mast slamming the deck of the bridge and crashing dozens of feet below the deck. Other masts then appeared to go down after it.
Terrified onlookers standing under the bridge at a nearby park on the Brooklyn side could be seen bolting from the scene as the vessel headed for the recreational area.
âSheâs about to crash,â one startled witness could be heard saying in the footage.
âOh sât!â
The mutilated ship is currently idle in the water while emergency responders work at the site. Itâs expected to be moved to Pier 36, sources said.
Victims are being transported to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with those in critical condition being taken to a nearby hospital for additional treatment.
Fire officials warned motorists to expect traffic delays and road closures near New Dock Street & water Street in Brooklyn.
The vessel, built in Spain in 1982 with the sole purpose of training cadets, had been in the city as part of a promotion for next yearâs Sail4th tall ship event, which celebrates Americaâs 250th birthday.
The stop is just the third in the vesselâs eight-month voyage around the globe, which offers the Mexican cadets the opportunity to flex their sailing muscles in environments like Jamaica, Iceland, Portugal and more.
This yearâs class boasts 175 cadets, the largest class the nationâs navy has seen yet.
âThe classes are getting bigger and bigger. We just keep getting more and more people!â said Lt. Sg. Hugo Calvario, the shipâs orthopedic surgeon.
âWe had to leave almost 40% of the crew to take on more cadets,â he continued, meaning the trainees have to pick up the slack and take on more responsibilities.
The Post watched earlier this week as they skillfully climbed the dauntingly high ropes and stretched across the towers of the shipâs three masts to conduct what in English is known as âmanning the yardsâ â a universal sign of respect that is done every time a ship enters a port.
It is expected to be one of 30 Class A International Tall Ships that will parade through the Harbor on July 4, 2026.
