Officials reported on Monday that a recent inspection of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City found that the bridge’s load-bearing components did not incur any major damage after a collision with a Mexican navy sailing vessel on Saturday night, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals on board.
The New York City Department of Transportation shared this update via X, shortly before the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a press conference to discuss its investigation into the unfortunate event.
“This morning, Commissioner Rodriguez evaluated the condition of the Brooklyn Bridge in the aftermath of the weekend collision,” stated the city department. “Even though inspections are still in progress, there are no indications of structural damage to the bridge.”
NTSB officials told reporters that its bridge team from the Office of Highway Safety is working with NYC DOT and confirmed the lack of structural damage to the bridge.
A Mexican navy tall ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. (@TheWillieNelson/X)
“Our recorders group, once getting aboard the vessel, will make a full assessment of any recording devices, and we will capture that information and retrieve it,” he said.
One reporter asked Graham and Young about preliminary information released by the NYPD, suggesting there was a power outage that may have led to the ship’s collision with the bridge.
“We don’t know where they got that data from,” Graham said. “Brian has told us already we haven’t even had a chance to access the engine, so, we don’t know that. We haven’t had a chance to look to see if there’s any recorded data or anything like that. So, we’re not sure where they got that from, but that will be part of the investigation, too. If somebody has information like that, where did they get it from? We don’t know at this point.”
NTSB investigators will speak with witnesses, crew members, tugboat operators and others to help get a full picture of what caused the ship to crash on Saturday night. They will also look for surveillance cameras in the area to help piece together the puzzle.
Still, Graham reiterated that all information provided to reporters during the press conference was preliminary and subject to change throughout the investigation.
He encouraged anyone with video of the incident on their phones to reach out to witness@ntsb.gov to notify investigators of the video. The NTSB will then provide a link where the video can be uploaded.
