A sightseeing trip ended in tragedy on Thursday afternoon when a helicopter plunged into the Hudson River in the United States,, claiming the lives of all six people on board.
The crash occurred around 3:17 p.m. near the Holland Tunnel ventilation shaft in Jersey City, close to the Water’s Soul sculpture at River Drive South and Newport Parkway.
New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, confirmed the heartbreaking loss of a family of five from Spain, three children and their parents, along with the pilot.
“Our hearts go out to the family of those who were on board and all six who were on board of the helicopter,” Adams said.
German multinational Siemens later identified one of its executives, Agustin Escobar, as the father of the deceased family. According to Adams, the children were just 4, 8, and 10 years old.
Emergency responders from multiple agencies, including the NYPD, FDNY, Port Authority, and New Jersey teams, sprang into action. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described a swift and massive response effort.
“NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site, and FDNY divers recovered an additional two,” she said.
Despite life-saving attempts on the scene and at nearby hospitals, all six victims succumbed to their injuries.
On the Manhattan side, emergency personnel mobilized quickly, especially around the West Side Highway and Spring Street.
U.S. President, Donald Trump, responded on Truth Social, writing, “Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us… God bless the families and friends of the victims.”
The ill-fated helicopter was a Bell 206 operated by New York Helicopters. According to Tisch, it lifted off from Lower Manhattan shortly after 3 p.m. Mayor Adams said the flight took a scenic route over Governor’s Island and near the Statue of Liberty, up the West Side of Manhattan, before looping back down the Jersey side of the river.
Ownership records revealed the helicopter belonged to Meridian Helicopters, a Louisiana-based company that brokers, leases, and refurbishes rotorcrafts.
Tragically, what was meant to be a picturesque aerial tour ended in disaster near Jersey City. “Here you have visitors who were here just to see a picturesque and a legendary skyline,” said Adams. “And unfortunately we lost five family members and a pilot to an incident. Again, our heart goes out to the family members.”
Skyports, which manages the heliport the helicopter operated from, expressed its sorrow. “We are deeply saddened by the tragedy on the Hudson River earlier today… Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all those impacted by this horrible incident.”
Flight logs show the helicopter was active in the area, frequently operating between Manhattan heliports and regional airports like JFK and Newark.
Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter, told CBS News New York that he has not received details about what led to the crash.
“I don’t know anything how this went down. The only thing I can tell you, we are devastated,” he said. “My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon… We’re a small company… We have no clue what happened.”
He declined to speak on inspection schedules, only stating, “We follow all the rules and more.”
Investigations are underway by both the FAA and the NTSB. The Coast Guard has created a safety zone in the Hudson, halting vessel traffic and disrupting ferry services. At the time of the crash, the water temperature was around 50 degrees, under overcast skies with wind gusts peaking at 21 mph.
Eyewitnesses described terrifying scenes of mid-air disintegration before the helicopter slammed into the river.
“The helicopter was a little bit like nose down, slightly, and I saw the propeller separating from the helicopter,” said Sarah Jane Raymond Ryer. “It kept spinning in the air alone. Nothing was attached to it.”
Another local, Jenn Lynk, recalled, “It sounded honestly like an engine came out… Then I started to hear all the sirens come outside.” Ipsitaa Banigrhi, also a Jersey City resident, added, “I heard, like, such a loud sound. It felt like thunder… then we heard all the emergency vehicles and sirens go by, and I think that’s when it was like, OK, what’s happening.”
Video footage showed flotation devices in the water, but no visible signs of the helicopter’s main body or tail. CBS’s Dan Rice, an aviation reporter, noted, “There’s one video in particular where you see the main component of the helicopter, the fuselage, upside down… the main rotor system was gone… and the tail boom was also gone.”
Rice, who often flies in similar helicopters, emphasized the gravity of the damage. “Obviously, a catastrophic failure of the aircraft. That’s very obvious… Separation of the blades is what caused this chopper to go down. What led to the separation is what we have to find out,” he said.
Recovery efforts continued Friday as divers returned to search for the helicopter’s missing components.
New York’s rivers have seen similar tragedies in the past. In 2019, a helicopter crash-landed in the Hudson after refueling, though the pilot survived. In 2018, five lives were lost in the East River during a charter flight. And of course, the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson” remains the most famous river landing, where all 155 aboard survived thanks to Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s heroics.
This most recent crash serves as another somber reminder of the risks of air travel, even during what should have been a memorable family experience.
