A family of five visiting New York City from Barcelona, Spain, was killed along with a pilot after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, ABC News reports.
The New York Helicopters Tours chartered chopper was carrying three adults and three children when video captured the aircraft breaking into pieces before hitting the water near Lower Manhattan on Thursday, April 10. The victims were identified as Agustin Escobar, an executive from European automation company Siemens; his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal; and their children, aged 4, 5, and 11.
The unidentified pilot was 36. Video from the crash showed the chopper plunging into the water with a tail rotor and main rotor blade missing. Officials said the aircraft hit the water invertedly.
Tracking: looks like a Bell 206L Long Ranger Helicopter. Appears main rotor & tail are detached when the main fuselage impacts the Hudson River in NYC. The main nut/pin that holds the main rotor onto the helicopter’s fuselage is called the ‘Jesus Nut.´
— Mikey Kay
(@MikeyKayFilms) April 10, 2025
The tragic occurrence happened at 3:17 p.m. off the coast of River Drive in Hoboken, New Jersey, roughly 15 minutes after it departed from the Wall St. Heliport. Before crashing, the helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge before turning south. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said that Jersey City Medical Center medical professionals tried as hard as they could to save some of the victims who were rushed to the hospital but were unsuccessful.
Witnesses of the crash described the tragic scene as sounding “like a sonic boom.” “I was walking by, and the helicopter went down at a 45-degree angle,” witness Eric Campoverde said. “Big splash — it was very scary.”
New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth told the New York Post he was “devastated” by the news. “I’m a father and a grandfather, and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated,” he said. When asked what he thinks may have happened, Roth said that he has never seen anything like that after being in business for three decades. “And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess — I got no clue — is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know,” he continued.
“This is horrific. But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) listed the chopper as a Bell 206 helicopter. It was on its sixth flight of the day. Since the aircraft crashed on the Jersey City side of the river, the Jersey City Police Department is taking the lead on the investigation, finding the aircraft upside-down in the 50-degree water. Fulop said there had been concerns about the air traffic over the Hudson before the crash and hopes the tragedy brings more attention to growing safety concerns.
Elected officials also spoke out about the crash. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “Our hearts go out to the family and those on board” during a briefing. In a post on X, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the news “devastating.” “Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy,” he wrote.
President Donald Trump called the crash “terrible” on his Truth Social app. “Terrible crash,” Trump said. “The video of the accident is horrific. God bless the families and friends of the victims.”
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