Hudson River helicopter crash: Three adults, three children killed in New York
The family that died today when a sightseeing helicopter lost control and crashed into New York’s Hudson River have been identified, as heartbreaking photos of their final moments emerge.
The family of five – two adults and children aged 4,5 and 11 – died alongside the helicopter pilot in the horror daytime crash.
The father has been identified by US media as Agustin Escobar, head of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens.
Photos from the New York Helicopter Tours website show the smiling family moments before the doomed helicopter took off.
New York Mayor Eric Adams earlier said all the bodies had been retrieved from the water.
“At this time, all six victims have been removed from the water. And sadly, all six victims have been pronounced deceased,” he told a briefing.
Images showed the chopper’s landing skids protruding from the river beside Manhattan’s West Side Highway as several boats clustered around the impact site.
Police from both New York and New Jersey, which is on the opposite side of the river from Manhattan, were at the scene along with fire department vessels.
The NBC4 channel reported that its own helicopter was unable to take off because of conditions, with the weather in New York windy under thick cloud cover.
🔴 Helicopter crashes into Hudson River
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 10, 2025
The New York fire department said in a statement that it had units at the crash site performing rescue operations
Multiple rescue boats have been seen on the Manhattan waterfront pic.twitter.com/YvssP7KoDk
Witnesses told the outlet that the main rotor blade had come loose from the aircraft.
Aircraft tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that based on air traffic control data the helicopter was likely a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV.
The river is a busy shipping channel and the scene of a dramatic 2009 incident when a US Airways jet safely landed in the water. All 155 people on board escaped with their lives in an event dubbed “Miracle on the Hudson”.
The river is as deep as 60m at points, and the images of the helicopter appeared to show flotation devices deployed on the aircraft’s skids.
BREAKING: A helicopter crashed in the Hudson River near New York City on Thursday afternoon, and fatalities have been reported, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
— ABC News (@ABC) April 10, 2025
At least four people were on board, according to fire officials. https://t.co/Ddfy1Z72Jb pic.twitter.com/zoSGmftgDX
The average temperature of the river is 8C at this time of year, according to the US Geological Survey.
There is a heliport close to the Hudson Yards development but it was unclear if the aircraft was heading to or from the facility.
“Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring St, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas,” the New York Police Department wrote in a statement.
A fire service spokesperson said that “we got the call at 3.17pm local time” about a “helicopter in the water,” but was unable to give other information.
New Jersey State Police did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
There have been around 30 helicopter crashes in New York since 1980, Brooklyn Borough President Mark Levine told reporters, calling for tighter restrictions on helicopter traffic in the city.
- Agence France-Presse , additional reporting NZ Herald