Terrified witnesses heard the deafening sound of screams as a massive Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night.
Panicked parkgoers in Brooklyn Bridge Park could be seen on video running from the water’s edge as the crippled ship appeared to drift toward them.
“The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails,” said Elijah West, who witnessed the chilling crash at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
“It was crazy. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails. Police boats came around fast — about five minutes later. And then police guided the boat to the [Manhattan] bridge and started the rescue. It was a shock.”
“We were celebrating and we were saying goodbye and singing,” said Ismari Romero, 43, who witnessed the terrifying incident from Pier 17 on the Manhattan side with her sister and other Mexicans who wanted to welcome the ship to the Big Apple and “make them feel like home.”
“We were all joyful, and they departed. And when they reached the Brooklyn Bridge, I believe they hit the bridge and the top collapsed. We were very scared. A lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying. They’re like, ‘How is this happening? How is this possible?’”
Matt Tibbitts was on the ferry heading from Dumbo to Williamsburg with friends when he was struck with the horrifying thought that the vessel wasn’t going to clear the bridge.
“The people around us were kind of like, ‘oh, I think that’s too tall,’ and then you turn and immediately just see it snap,” he said.
“It’s kind of surreal to see . . . You saw some people taking some big falls off those masts.”
The colossal Cuauhtémoc – manned by a crew of 277 largely made up of cadets – lost power, drifted in reverse and slammed its towering masts into the roadbed around 8:30 p.m. Officials said 19 were injured, four seriously.
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