Six Dead, Including Three Children, in Tragic Helicopter Crash Over Hudson River

A tourist helicopter carrying a family from Spain crashed into the Hudson River on Wednesday afternoon, killing all six people aboard, including three young children.

Heliport and crashed off River Drive in Hoboken
Photo courtesy: NBC News

The Bell 206 operated by New York Helicopters, went down at 3:17 p.m. shortly after departing from the Wall Street Heliport. The crash occurred off River Drive in Hoboken, New Jersey, less than 20 minutes into its flight — the helicopter’s sixth of the day.

Among the victims were the 36-year-old pilot and a family from Barcelona: Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive; his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal; and their children, aged 4, 5, and 11. The family had reportedly been in New York for a sightseeing trip.

Eyewitnesses described a horrifying scene as the helicopter appeared to fall out of the sky with no visible rotor blades and flipped upside down before hitting the frigid waters of the Hudson. Cellphone video footage circulated online shows the aircraft spinning erratically before impact. Witnesses also reported hearing loud mechanical noises, spotting falling debris, and seeing a massive splash as the chopper hit the river.

“The tail rotor was gone. It just started spinning, then split in two mid-air,” said one witness who was jogging nearby. “It was terrifying.”

First responders arrived quickly, but rescue efforts were hampered by the 50-degree waters and the condition of the wreckage, which lay upside down in the river. All six individuals were pulled from the submerged fuselage and transported to Jersey City Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead despite emergency life-saving attempts.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department, which is leading the inquiry due to the incident’s location on the New Jersey side of the river.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who has previously raised concerns about air traffic safety above the Hudson, expressed heartbreak over the incident. “We’ve warned about the volume of helicopters and the risks posed,” he said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams offered condolences to the victims’ families in a press briefing, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy for a family on what should have been a joyful visit to our city.”

U.S. President Donald Trump reacted on his social media platform, describing the crash as “terrible” and the footage as “horrendous.”

Officials say the investigation could take weeks or months to determine the exact cause of the mechanical failure. In the meantime, both local and federal authorities are urging increased scrutiny of non-essential helicopter flights over densely populated urban areas.