Two young sailors who lost their lives in the mechanical failure and crash of the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc into the Brooklyn Bridge have been identified as América Yamilet Sanchez and Adal Jair Marcos, Mexican authorities confirmed Sunday.
The vessel — which serves as a school ship for cadets — was departing for Reykjavik, Iceland, when it lost power around 8:30 p.m. Saturday and drifted into the bridge, snapping all three masts, killing Sanchez and Marcos.
“América wasn’t just a cadet. She was also an outstanding swimmer, a young woman full of light, commitment and dreams,” Mexican outlet La Jornada wrote in an editorial about the victim.
“Hours before the accident, she shared with emotion an image of the ship that would take her to her final voyage, not knowing that this postcard would be her farewell.”
Sanchez, from Veracruz, would have turned 21 in June. Marcos, 22, was originally from Oaxaca. Both had spent the past nine months of their lives on the training ship.
“We are originally from Oaxaca, and from the same community. Oaxaca is saddened by this news circulating on social media, but even more so in the Isthmus region where we are originally from,” a childhood friend of Marcos said when reached via Facebook.
“The community’s relationship with this tragic news is very strong, because there are many of us who had the good fortune to live with Adal,” said the friend, who did not want to be named publicly.
“He was a human being who spread his joy with his smiles. A sincere and loyal friend, who always supports others in difficult times.”
Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News
The Mexican naval ship Cuauhtemoc is pictured in the East River in Brooklyn, New York City after striking the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)
Speaking to the Mexican outlet Jornada, Sanchez’s great aunt demanded answers to the reason for the accident.
“Justice, if there were failures by the Mexican Navy or if there were failures by the United States, let there be justice and her body immediately, here with her family, and let it not be forgotten,” Sanchez’s great aunt Maria del Rosario Hernandez Jacome said.
There were 277 personnel on the ship, including 147 cadets. According to the FDNY, 27 of those aboard were treated for injuries, with 11 in critical condition.
Originally Published: May 18, 2025 at 7:37 PM EDT
