Saturday night in New York City: tourists snapping skyline photos, kids screaming in Times Square, overpriced cocktails being poured with reckless abandon — and the Mexican Navy slamming a masted ship into the Brooklyn Bridge.
Yes, you read that right.
The ARM Cuauhtémoc, a Mexican Navy training vessel carrying 277 passengers, lost power around 8:20 p.m. while navigating the East River. The result? A loud, splintering crunch as the ship’s mast collided with the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge, raining debris onto the deck and leaving at least 22 people injured.
According to the New York Police Department, the vessel lost electrical power mid-maneuver, leaving the captain with few options but to drift straight into disaster. Video from the scene shows the mast striking the bridge and breaking apart as sailors scramble below — a horrifying moment made worse by reports that some crew members were still on the mast during impact.
Mayor Eric Adams initially confirmed 19 injuries, including four classified as serious. The Mexican Navy later updated the number to 22 total, with 19 receiving treatment at New York hospitals. Both governments are now conducting investigations, or as officials put it: “reviewing the material and personnel situation,” which is naval code for “we have no clue what the hell happened.”
The Brooklyn Bridge, miraculously, is just fine. Emergency crews inspected the structure and reopened it to traffic by 10:30 p.m. — though NYPD urged residents to steer clear of the area due to lingering emergency activity, scattered debris, and an overwhelming vibe of WTF just happened.
The Cuauhtémoc is no stranger to New York Harbor. The ship regularly stops here on goodwill tours and diplomatic training cruises. But this may be the first time it showed up uninvited and on a collision course.
The vessel will now require significant repairs — including a new mast, a full electrical overhaul, and probably a very large apology bouquet for the city of New York.
We’re not saying this was an act of war. But if your country’s military schooner rolls into our city, knocks on the door of a national landmark, and then breaks part of its face — well, you better bring tequila.
Developing story. Developing headache. Developing memes.
We’ll update you as more emerges, especially if the Statue of Liberty starts glaring at passing ships. And if you were near the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night and thought you saw a mast collapse like a piece of IKEA furniture — you didn’t imagine it.
For more chaotic diplomacy, rogue masts, and the kind of journalism that refuses to stay in its lane — subscribe to Closer to the Edge. We break stories. Sometimes we just don’t mean to break the bridge.
This post has been syndicated from Closer to the Edge, where it was published under this address.