May 19, 2025
A 300′ long Mexican Navy ship, Cuauhtémoc, crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night killing two sailors and injuring 22 more. CNN reported the 2 fatalities were América Yamilet Sánchez and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos. The exact cause of the crash is under investigation, but it’s been reported that the ship was heading out to sea from the South Street Seaport en route to Iceland when a mechanical issue, the wind and/or an incoming tide sent the ship upstream instead of down. The NTSB has planned a news briefing for 3 PM today (Monday). The top of the ship’s masts broke as they scraped the underside of the Bridge. The MCI (Multi-Casualty Incident) was quickly responded to by marine FDNY and NYPD units, tugs and other nearby vessels, with EMS staging set up on both sides of the East River. A search for people in the water was underway within minutes of the accident. The injured sailors were rushed to nearby hospitals by EMS.
Cuauhtémoc in Santo Domingo, June 2022.
By Sunday afternoon, Cuauhtémoc was docked near Pier 36, between the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges on the Manhattan side of the East River. People out enjoying a warm, sunny day on Pier 17 near Fulton Street pointed toward and snapped photos of the disabled ship about 3/4 mile away.
In a Fulton Street sweets shop on Sunday afternoon.
