On Thursday afternoon, a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Manhattan.
Officials said all six people on board died, including three children. It is the worst helicopter crash in the city in the past seven years.
The people who died have been identified as a Spanish family: AgustÃn Escobar, the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility; his wife, Mercè CamprubÃ; and their three children, ages 11, 5, and 4. They were reportedly celebrating one of the kids’ birthdays.
Before the tragic crash, the family smiled happily for photos in front of the helicopter.
The pilot’s name has not been shared with the public.
A heartbreaking video shows the helicopter spinning in the air before crashing into the water near Jersey City, New Jersey, at high speed.
People who saw the crash said they heard a loud bang and noticed the helicopter was missing at least one of its rotor blades when it hit the water.
Lesly Camacho, who works at a restaurant by the river, said she saw the helicopter spinning out of control before it crashed into the water.
“There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard,” she recalled.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said divers found everyone who was on the helicopter, which was upside down in the water.
“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries,” she shared.
The Bell 206 helicopter was used for sightseeing tours around New York City.
The helicopter left from the Wall Street Heliport and flew near the Statue of Liberty before heading up the Hudson River.
Only 16 minutes into the flight, disaster happened.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, sent his condolences to the family and friends of those on board.
He shared a message on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “We have had devastating news about the helicopter accident in the River Hudson.”
“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, lost their lives along with the pilot. It’s an unimaginable tragedy. I share the pain of the victims’ loved ones in this heartbreaking moment.”
The company’s CEO, Michael Roth, said the helicopter was rented from a company in Louisiana and wasn’t sure how it split apart in the air.
Roth confirmed the helicopter ran out of fuel just minutes into the flight and shared the last radio call made by the pilot.
“He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,” Roth told The Telegraph.
The company’s CEO also said he started getting calls from other pilots flying over the Hudson River, saying the helicopter was upside down.
Roth shared: “We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying. The death of the child of any human being is a monumental disaster.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of investigating the crash.
